Erased
by kryptofreak
Summary: Dreams of someone lost haunt Olette.Is the boy with the blue eyes the key to her forgotten memories? Roxas is haunted by his inner demons and an Organization prophecy. Is the girl he loves the key to conquering his darkness? RoxasXOlette
1. Twilight Academy:O

A/N: This is my first fan fiction. Please review.

xXx

_I had to find him. I could hear him taunting me, but couldn't see him. He was too fast. _

"_Come on Olette! You're so slow", he shouted from up ahead._

_I ran faster. I just had to find him. Today was the day I was finally going to catch him. If I didn't I would never figure out who he was. He wouldn't tell me. No matter how many times I shouted for him to slow down or tell me who he was, he always kept running. Only once did he respond back._

"_You know who I am."_

_I had to stop. My lungs hurt from running and yelling. He was going to get away! Suddenly I felt someone grab my shoulders, causing me to scream._

"_Gotcha", he whispered into my ear._

_I turned around to look at him, but he was gone._

xXx

Olette woke up to the sound of her blaring alarm clock. _That has got to be the worst noise in the world,_ she thought. Today was the first day at her new school. Her father had been promoted recently. His salary had been raised exceedingly, allowing them to move to a much better place. Or so her parents told her. She couldn't see why she had to leave her friends, home, and school. She was comfortable there, always the top of her class. But her parents were worried that she wasn't being challenged enough. So now she was going to some private school that was for more advance kids. _It wouldn't be so terrible if I didn't have to wear this horrible uniform, _she thought bitterly as she tried to pull her skirt down. _Do they have to make these so short?_

As Olette made her way down the stairs toward the kitchen she tripped on the last step. She was too tired this morning to pay attention to where she was walking.

"Damn!" she yelled.

"What was that, honey?" her mom asked as Olette entered the kitchen.

"Nothing," she murmured.

"Sure". Her father winked as he looked up from his paper.

"Need. Coffee. Now." Olette sat down at the table and laid down her head.

Her mother put a cup of steaming cup of coffee in front of Olette. She stared at it for a second before taking a sip. _Ah caffeine. _She drank her coffee black. _Why ruin the taste by adding some sugary cream that makes it taste like a baked good? _It burnt her tongue, but she didn't care. If she waited for it to cool she'd be late for the bus.

"Is that all you're going to have? You really should eat something," her mom asked.

"I'll be fine mom. I have to go. Don't want to be late on my first day."

"Yeah, you wouldn't want to be known as the girl who was late. That would just make the other kids shun you", her dad joked.

"Ha. Ha. You are so funny Dad." _They probably are going to ignore me anyway, _she thought as she grabbed her backpack.

xXx

Olette looked up at Twilight Academy. It seemed to loom over her. She knew it was all in head, yet it seemed to grow bigger by the minute. She was waiting for the bell to ring before she headed to her first class. At her old school she was always the first to be in the classroom. Often she got there before the teacher. But she was determined to make this school different. _I will not be the class nerd,_ she promised herself. It's not like she was ashamed of loving to learn, it was just everyone, except her friends, often teased her about it or called her the teacher's pet. She always ignored them, she had her four best friends and that was all she really needed. But here without them she felt exposed.

Other students were chatting around her. They didn't notice her. They were too engrossed in discussing their weekends. She was just about to go sit down on a bench to read when someone yelled "Look out!"

She jumped back just as a blonde boy came grinding down the stair rail on a skateboard, landing on the exact same spot where Olette had just been standing.

"Sorry bout that", he said smiling. The smile made his brown eyes seem brighter.

"You must be new. Name's Hayner. What's yours?"

Before Olette could answer another boy came running over. He had dark brown hair that was pushed up by a head band. In his hand was a video camera.

"That was awesome Hayner! I got the whole thing on film. Next, can you try…"he trailed off noticing Olette for the first time. "Who's this?" he looked at Hayner confused.

"New girl."

"My name's Olette. I just moved here."

"Hi. I'm Pence"

"Well Olette you are so fortunate to have met us. You wouldn't want to make friends with the wrong people," Hayner informed her.

"Who would that be?"

"See that group over there?" Pence pointed toward a group of two boys and two girls sitting under a tree. "That's Sora, Riku, Kari, and Naminé. They're the Twilight Academy elite."

"In other words they're all assholes. And all the teachers love them so they can do whatever they want and not get in trouble," Hayner added indignantly.

"The guy with the brown hair is Sora. He's the star baseball player. The girl with the brown hair is his girlfriend. That's Kari. Naminé is really good artist. She's actually pretty nice. So is Riku. He's the smartest kid in our grade. They aren't actually that mean, well except for Kari. Sora can be a real jerk sometimes though," Pence stated.

"Whatever. I think they're all jerks. Just stick with us Olette. We're awesome," Hayner said, grinning again.

"I think I will", Olette laughed. "Thanks guys."

"Do you need help finding your first class?" Pence asked.

"Yes. That would be great."

She pulled her schedule out of her pocket and gave it to Pence. Hayner grabbed it out of his hands and stated examining it. She had eight classes, not including her free study period. At Twilight Academy there were five block periods. Two classes in the morning, lunch/free study, and then two classes in the afternoon. Today she had AP History, AP Literature, AP Photography, and AP Spanish. _No pressure,_ she thought.

"Wow! I figured you were smart, but these classes are insane!" Hayner exclaimed. "We have history together. And you'll have photography with Pence."

"Well Miss Smarty Pants, maybe you'd be better hanging out with Riku and them than with us lesser beings," Pence joked.

"I'm good. But I might have to reconsider if you guys can't keep up with my superior intellect," She teased. "Thanks guys. I'm so glad I met you."

Just then the bell rang. As the three of them headed up the stairs toward their classes, Olette noticed a boy with electric blue eyes staring at her. He was sitting under a tree reading a book. When he saw that she'd noticed him he returned to reading his book, not caring that everyone else was filing into the school.

xXx

The day went by in a blur. All her teachers seemed very nice except for Senor Ansem, her Spanish teacher. The moment she walked in the classroom he came over and explained all of the classroom procedures, which was understandable, except that all of the punishments for not doing homework were extreme. One missed homework was detention, the second missed was a five page essay on why the homework was missed.

"And the punishment for missing homework a third time, well no one has ever forgotten a third time," he stated, smiling cruelty. _I almost expected him to break out in MWAHA, _she thought as she took her seat.

This Spanish class was a month ahead of the one at her old school. _It's going to take forever to do all these assignments he's given me._ She was about to start writing down a study plan when someone sat down at the desk next to her.

"If you would like help, you can always ask me." It was one of the boys Pence had pointed out earlier, Riku. "Ansem is pretty tough, especially if you're behind. I'd be willing to help you catch up."

_His eyes are so pretty,_ she thought._ I can't tell if they're blue or green. They keep changing._ She realized he was waiting for her answer.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I can handle it. If I ever need help I'll definitely ask you."

"Great," he said smiling. "My name's Riku. What's yours?"

"Olette." She couldn't help smiling back. _He seems nice. I wonder why Hayner hates him._

"If you're all done with your important conversations I would like to get started on today's lesson," Senor Ansem began. "Everyone clear your desks. It is time for a pop quiz!"

Everyone groaned as they did what he instructed. Senor Ansem made Olette take the quiz, but it wasn't too hard. She knew most of it from self teaching herself. When the bell rang she gathered up her things.

"Hope I see you tomorrow Olette," Riku said before he left.

"Yeah. Me too."_ I think this school isn't going to be so bad after all,_ she thought, smiling to herself.

xXx

Olette was lying on her bed doing the immense amount of homework she had received today. She was listening to _It's Like Rain_ by Josephine Collective. Music always helped her concentrate on school work, as long as it wasn't being blasted like she normally had it. She heard the door opened, but stayed where she was figuring it was one of parents. If they wanted to talk to her then they would come upstairs. But instead of hearing someone coming up the stairs, she heard someone yelling.

"Is anyone going to greet me?!?"

_Leon! He's home_. She jumped off her bed and ran down the stairs. As usual she tripped on the last step. Fortunately Leon caught her before she fell.

"Thanks," She said before throwing her arms around his neck. "I can't believe you're here!" she said while unlatching her arms from him. "How'd you get in any way?" she asked looking puzzled.

"The key Mom and Dad gave me before you guys moved," He said while rolling his eyes and holding up a small key on his key ring. "Just because I went to college doesn't mean I'm no longer part of the family."

"Of course it does," she teased. "How long are you staying?"

"A week. Now where can I put my stuff?"

"The guest bedroom. C'mon, I'll show you."

xXx

The evening went by too fast._ I love it when Leon visits. It's so great having everyone together like it used to be. _She told everyone about her day. Her parents were happy that she liked her new school. Leon made fun of her about Hayner and Pence. _Thank goodness I didn't mention Riku to him. He'd never stop teasing me. _Leon often mocked Olette about the fact she didn't have many guy friends, but he was still a great big brother. He told her about college and some girl named Yuffie he was friends with. When Olette started teasing him, he threw mashed potatoes at her. _He can dish but he can't take,_ she thought annoyed. But she couldn't stay mad at Leon for very long. He was just too sweet. He helped her clear the table, wash the dishes, and even gave her help on her Spanish homework. After beating him at chess (and losing to him twice) Olette decided to go to bed.

"Good night sis," he said before turning in himself.

"Night Leon."

xXx

Olette snuggled down under of her covers. Her bedroom was cold, just how she liked it. She loved it when the blankets kept her warm, not the heater. As she was drifting off to sleep, she remembered the boy with the electric blue eyes. He was the last thing she thought of.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hoped you liked it. Next chapter will be more interesting. Remember to review!!!!


	2. Second Day:O

Here's the second chapter. Thanks to japaneserockergirl for reviewing and a big thanks to sugarhigh-ninja3 for helping me edit.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_I ran as fast as I could._

_I could hear his voice echoing off the trees. He was taunting me again. But something was different. He was no longer amused. His tone was getting more frustrated every time he called to me. Even I was getting frustrated. Why couldn't he slow down?_

_Tears rolled down my cheeks. I hadn't even known I'd been crying. _

_I was getting angry. What was his problem anyway? What did he want?! Why couldn't he stop? And why wouldn't I? I didn't even know who he was, but I kept chasing him. I had to. I couldn't stop. I didn't want to stop. That's what scared me the most. I _needed _to find him. It didn't matter that I was annoyed or that I ached from running. _

"_Come on! Find me Olette", he shouted._

_My lungs felt like they would explode. But I ignored the pain. I didn't stop this time. _

"_Hurry!"_

_His voice was louder. I was getting closer. Almost there. I could feel it. _

_My foot slipped on the wet leaves that covered the ground, causing me to fall on my back._

"_Olette!" he cried out._

xXx

Olette jumped awake. She turned over to look at her alarm clock. It read 5:58. _Damn,_ she thought. Her alarm would go off in 2 minutes. She had hoped that she still had an hour left to sleep. _I can't wait for the weekend_. _I need more sleep._

As she was waiting for the water in the shower to warm up she recalled her dream. This was the second night in a row that she had a dream about him. She usually only dreamed about him once a week, but now it was getting more frequent. It bothered her. _Who is he? _She knew dreams were a reflection on memory, but she couldn't think of anyone whose voice sounded like his. _Who could he possibly be?_, she thought pensively.

The sudden heat made her snap back to reality. The bathroom was filling with steam. She took her shower, got dressed, and went to the kitchen. Both her parents were gone already. Her dad had an early meeting and her mom worked at a day care. Leon never woke up before nine. She poured herself a big bowl of cereal. It was just what she was in the mood for. But when she opened the fridge she saw that there wasn't a milk carton. As she slammed the fridge shut she noticed the sticky note on the door.

"Sorry, drank the last bit of milk last night. I'll buy more today." It was signed Leon.

"Damn Leon. Damn it all!" she cursed.

"Aren't you a little old for temper tantrums?" Leon asked standing in the doorway. His hair was all messed up and he was wearing sweats and a tank. The expression on his face was a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

"Sorry. I didn't sleep well. Why are you awake?"

"Someone was making noise", he said crabbily.

"Well someone drank all the milk," she accused.

"I woke up around midnight and couldn't fall back to sleep. So I got a snack. Sue me. I'll get milk later." He yawned. "What were you dreaming about last night anyway?" he asked concerned.

"Huh?"

"When I passed your room last night I heard you muttering. It also sounded like you were crying. Is everything ok?"

Olette hugged him. _He's the best brother._ "Everything's great. Gotta go. Bye," she said while grabbing an apple off the table.

Leon didn't look convinced. "Bye. Have a good day."

xXx

Olette sat on a bench, waiting for Hayner and Pence to get to school. She was thinking about what Leon said. _I couldn't have been crying. He must have heard wrong. Why would I have been crying? _Although she could remember most of the dream, some of the details were fuzzy. The harder she tried to remember, the fuzzier they got. _Something was different this time. What was it?_ she thought frustrated.

"Hey. Earth to Olette. Anyone home?" Hayner asked, while tapping her on the head. Pence was standing next to him.

"Sorry I didn't notice you guy. I was just thinking about something," she replied.

Pence laughed. "Yeah. We kind of figured that. What were thinking about?"

"About how awesome we are. Of course," Hayner said while grinning.

"Aww, Sora. Isn't that cute? He thinks he's cool," said a voice from behind Olette. She turned, seeing Sora with his arm around Kari.

"You're a little full of yourself, aren't you?" Kairi said, sneering.

"You're one to talk," retorted Hayner.

"Don't talk to her that way!" Sora snarled.

"I'll talk to her any damn way I want!"

Sora let go of Kairi and stepped toward Hayner. Pence tried to get in between the two of them, but Hayner pushed him out of the way.

"Hayner please stop. He's not worth getting in trouble for," Olette pleaded. She flashed Kairi a look, asking her to calm Sora down, but she just stood there looking pleased. Hayner backed away from Sora. He knew Olette was right. Sora wasn't worth getting suspended. But Sora had different plans. He was just about to throw back a punch, when Riku came up from behind him, grabbing his arm.

"If you do that you'll get kicked off the team. Whatever he said just let it go," he reasoned.

Sora grumbled something, but he put his arm down. "Whatever man."

Riku turned to Olette. "Hey. How's it going?"

"I'm good. Thanks for helping."

"No problem," he replied, smiling. "I got to go talk to a teacher. See you later." He walked away. Sora followed him, looking sour. Kairi gave Olette a curious look before trailing after him.

"What was that about?" Hayner asked looking slightly peeved.

"He's in my Spanish class. I was just being friendly." Olette answered a little bit irritated. _He better not be mad at me for talking to Riku._

Hayner put up his hands. "Whoa. Sorry. I don't care if you talk to him. I'm not going to tell you who you can be friends with. I'm not them."

"It's ok. I'm sorry. I know you don't like him."

Hayner smiled. "No prob." Turning to Pence he said, "Sorry I pushed you. Thanks for trying to help."

"What are friends for?" Pence laughed.

Just then the bell rang. As she was entering the school Olette looked over at the tree where the boy with the blue eyes sat yesterday. He was there, but he wasn't looking at her or reading. Instead he was talking to Naminé.

xXx

Olette's second day of school was exactly like her first. She went around to all her classes, met all her teachers, and heard all the class policies. _You would think by now that they'd understand that we know all this stuff,_ she thought as her Astrology teacher prattled on about classroom rules. _She reminds me of Ursula from __The Little Mermaid__. She's being friendly, but it feels like it's an act._

Her morning classes seemed to drag on. It didn't help that he stomach had been growling the whole time. By lunchtime she wasstarving. The apple she had for breakfast hadn't filled her up very much. She'd forgotten to bring her lunch, forcing her to wait in one of the endless lunch lines. The one she picked was the shortest of the five. When she saw what they were serving she groaned. She hated fish.

"You must be new here," said the guy standing next to her. Olette had to look up to see his face. _Wow, he's tall_. His red hair was sticking up in different directions and his green eyes gleamed with mirth.

"Yeah. How'd you know?" she asked looking puzzled.

"The fact that you looked at the fish with pure disgust," he responded, amused.

"How does that connect with me being a new student?"

"I'm assuming you don't know that you're in the vegetarian line," he laughed kindly, pointing to the sign on the wall.

She blushed._ How'd I not see that? No wonder this line was the shortest,_ she thought embarrassed.

"Don't worry. There's salads at the end." He continued to smile at her making her feel self-conscious. She turned, noticing that the line had moved. There was a great deal of space between her and the person in front of her. Blushing again, she slid her tray forward. The red haired boy chuckled from behind. After choosing her salad she paid the cashier. She was heading toward the courtyard, when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Turning around, she saw that it was the boy from the lunch line.

"Hey. Do you have a name?" he questioned.

"It's Olette." _I feel like I've heard that question a hundred times in the past two days. _She expected him to tell her his, but was surprised when he turned and began to walk off.

"Wait!" she blurted. He turned around, smirking. "Aren't you going to tell me your name?"

"It's Axel. Got it memorized?" he exclaimed, dramatically. With one last smug smile, he walked away, chuckling to himself. _He's interesting, but since when is that a bad thing? _She thought as she went to find her friends.

She found Hayner and Pence sitting under a weeping willow tree. The school courtyard was picturesque. There were several picnic tables, but most students preferred to sit on the grass. All the trees were a collage of different colors. Everyone was enjoying the unusually warm weather. A group of boys was tossing around a Frisbee and a small crowd was listening to a boy playing an acoustic guitar.

"Hey guys." She stood there for a second debating whether to sit or not.

"What's wrong?" Pence asked

"Um, I'm not used to sitting on the ground in a skirt", she replied awkwardly.

"We can sit at a table if you want"

"No I'll be fine." She sat down, her legs to her side. Hayner snickered.

"What?"

"You must be the only girl at this school who doesn't hem her skirt to make it shorter," Hayner laughed.

"You got a problem with that?" Olette growled, with a hint of smile on her face.

Hayner cowered, feigning fright. The three of them cracked up. _It's been a long time since I've laughed like this, _she thoughtcontently.

xXx

Her good mood evaporated as soon as she got to her Calculus class. _Math is evil. When I'm I ever going to need to now how to this stuff?_ She thought bitterly. Even though she loved to learn, math was the one exception. It wasn't even a requirement this year. The only reason she was taking it this year was because her parents said it would look good on her transcript. It didn't help that her teacher made her stand up in front of the class and introduce herself. Thankfully Riku was there. He waved to her when she walked in. She noticed that the boy with the blue eyes was also there. He stared at her for a second before returning to his book.

The teacher told her to sit in the only empty desk. It was next to a girl with blonde hair in ponytails. The girl gave her nasty look as she moved her purse off Olette's desk. _So sorry for inconveniencing you, _she thought sarcastically.

The teacher then began to talk about limits. Olette listened carefully, taking notes. It seemed like she and Riku were the only ones paying attention. Several people, including the girl next to her were texting under their desks and the boy with the blue eyes was reading. His book was on his desk. He wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he wasn't paying attention. Apparently he did this often; the teacher didn't even give him a second glance.

Finally, after what seemed like hours the bell rang. Olette grabbed her stuff and left the classroom. She noticed that Riku was waiting outside the door for her.

"Hey. Wasn't that class just the most interesting thing ever?" he said grinning.

"Yeah. It was just a barrel of monkeys," she replied unenthusiastically. Riku laughed.

"Don't worry. It's always like this," he added, cheerfully.

"Fantastic," she grumbled.

"Riku. Wait up!" said a voice from behind. It was Sora. "Where are you going? Our next class is in the other direction."

"I know. I was just walking Olette to her next class," Riku answered, causing Sora to throw her an interested look.

"Thanks Riku. But I can find it."

"Okay. See you tomorrow." He and Sora turned around and walked away. She heard Sora asking a question about her.

xXx

Olette's final class of the day was Music History. When she entered the classroom she saw that there was only one other person there. It was the boy who had been playing the guitar during lunch. He was sitting on top of one of the desks writing in a blue notebook. She took a seat in the back and pulled out her Astronomy homework. After a few minutes more people began to arrive, including the teacher. When the bell rang, he stood up in the front of the room and asked everyone to quiet down.

"I don't feel like teaching today, so you all can do whatever you want." Several students cheered and began talking amongst themselves. Olette continued on her homework.

xXx

Halfway through the class the door opened.

"Nice of you to join us Roxas," the teacher said.

"Sorry. I was doing something for a teacher," Roxas replied.

_Where do I know that voice from?_ Olette wondered. _It sounds really familiar. _She gasped. Olette knew where she had heard that voice before. Looking up she saw that it was the boy with the blue eyes who had spoken.

It was the voice from her dreams.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hoped you liked it. I promise this is not just a AU high school fan fic. Please review!!


	3. The Organization:R

Here's the third chapter. Sorry that I didn't post last week but I was too engrossed in the book I was reading and the video I was making.

A big thanks to Evil Genius of the COCA for reviewing and to sugarhigh-ninja3 for being my editor.

This chapter is a wee bit different from the first two. Hope you enjoy it!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_I've never felt rage like this before. Xemnas would be proud. That only makes it worse._

_I have no one to blame but myself. It's not Naminé's fault. She was just doing what I begged her to do. What I begged Xemnas to let her do. I begged him not to do what he had originally planned. He told me I was weak. That my emotions would destroy me. But he finally agreed to let _her _live._

_I did everything I could to protect the one person I had left. The last thing I cared about. In the end she was taken from me, just like everything else._

_This wasn't supposed to happen. None of it was. I never wanted it to. This was chosen for me. _

_My fate can't be changed. _

xXx

Thump. Roxas threw the ball hard at the wall. He caught it effortlessly as it bounced back. His anger began to dwindle each time he threw the small tennis ball. It was easy for him to tune out everything and focus on the rhythm. Thump. The ball hit the wall. He caught it. Thump. He caught it again, without even thinking. _Why can't everything be this simple? _he mused, closing his eyes. For a brief moment Roxas was at peace. By throwing the ball he relieved some of his stress. The noise also really pissed Larxene off. He heard the crack of thunder before she barged into his room.

"Must you do that!" she screeched. "It's bad enough that Zexion is blasting his emo music and Axel is talking to himself. I don't need you making more noise. I'm talking on the phone."

Axel popped his head in the doorway. "I resent that Larxene. I'm merely practicing my lines for a play. In fact your gossiping is disrupting me."

She threw him a look that could have scared a grizzly bear. He continued to smile at her.

"I give up!" she exclaimed. With one last crack of thunder she stomped out of the room.

"She's awfully dramatic today. She should have tried out for the school play," Axel said, his eyes gleaming at the thought of Larxene having the patience to be around people as vivid as him.

"What are you guys doing this year?" Roxas asked.

"Sweeny Todd."

Roxas laughed. "How appropriate. I'm guessing you're playing Sweeny."

Axel grinned. "Who else would be perfect for the role?"

Roxas was just about to respond when there was a soft knock on the door. Naminé stepped shyly into the room. She'd never been in Roxas' or any of the other boys' rooms before.

"Hi Axel. Hey Roxas."

"What do you want Naminé?" Roxas replied, irritated. Axel threw him a look. _Be nice, _he mouthed.

"I was just wondering if you're okay. You seemed upset." Her deep blue eyes were filled with concern.

Roxas sighed. _Naminé is only trying to help_, he had to remind himself.

"I'm fine Naminé."

She started to say something, but was cut off by a yell from downstairs.

"Naminé! Someone's on the phone for you," shouted Luxord.

As she turned to leave she whispered "I'm so sorry Roxas."

Roxas threw the tennis ball at the wall, not caring if Larxene would be furious. Axel stood there debating whether to inquire further. He sighed, figuring that Roxas would tell him what was going on when he felt like it.

"I gotta go learn my lines. Catch you later, Key of Destiny," he said, leaving the room.

Roxas grimaced. _Damn title, _he cursed. All of the organization members had them. Most didn't mind their names. Some even took great pride in theirs, such as Larxene and Demyx. Roxas loathed his. Whenever Axel would ask him to explain, Roxas would make a joke out of it, claiming it wasn't as cool as the other members'. Because of this Axel and Demyx still continued to call him "Key of Destiny". Roxas and Xemnas were the only ones who knew the true meaning behind the name.

Roxas threw the ball again, this time too hard. It flew over his head and landed on the floor. He didn't move to pick it up. Instead he stared at the ceiling, thinking about _her._

xXx

"Do you know what's up with our angsty friend?" Axel was sitting on the floor in Demyx's room, flipping through one of the many notebooks that were scattered around the room. He put the book down and took a cigarette out of his pocket, lighting it with a snap of his fingers.

Demyx looked up from the blue notebook he was writing in. He raised his eyebrows when he saw the lit cigarette.

"I thought you quit smoking."

"I did, but I still love the smell a cigarette makes when it burns. Now, do you know what's wrong with Roxas?' Axel asked.

Demyx just shrugged. "If Roxas hasn't told you, then I sure as hell don't know. Why are you so concerned anyway? He's normally brooding about something. In fact if he was joyful, that's when I would be worried."

Axel smirked. _Demyx is right. For the five years I've known Roxas, it's been rare to see him lively. _

"Hey how does this sound?" Demyx picked up his acoustic guitar. He played a sweet melody for a minute. When he had finished he looked up to see Axel's reaction.

"Yeah it's great. Girls will definitely swoon over you."

"Cause that was my objective," Demyx replied sarcastically.

"Oh yeah. I forgot all you cared about was the music. Certainly all the girls who worship you have nothing to do with how hard you practice," Axel laughed.

Demyx shot a jet of water at him. In return Axel waved his hand at a blue notebook lying on the ground. It burst into flames, causing Demyx to gasp. He quickly extinguished the blaze with his own unique ability.

"Must you be a total jackass Axel?" he growled.

" I did you a favor. All the songs in there were terrible," Axel answered, amused.

"What do you know about good…?" Demyx trailed off, noticing that Axel was snickering.

"Don't worry. It wasn't filled with songs. It just had math notes in it."

Demyx looked relieved. "Good. I don't care about that kind of stuff."

Axel cracked a grin. "Glad to know you've got your priorities straight."

"You're damn right I do," Demyx chuckled.

He returned to writing in his notebook. After a few minutes Axel got bored. He stood up and left without saying goodbye.

xXx

"_Please," I whimpered._

_A strong hand slapped me across my face. The pain brought tears to my eyes. I wanted my mom and dad. Where were they? What happened to them? All I remembered was the squealing of tires and then blackness. Nothing but blackness._

"_Stop crying!" snarled a harsh voice. I couldn't see who had spoken. A thick blindfold was covering my eyes._

_I cried harder. I couldn't help it. I was terrified._

"_Shut up!"_

"_Get Naminé," someone else ordered. _

"_What good will that do?" questioned a third voice with a British accent._

"_She was able to soothe Demyx and Axel. Perhaps she can calm him down."_

_I heard footsteps leaving the room. __Someone untied the cloth from my face. I was in a white room with elevated thrones on all sides. Three men with cold stares surrounded me. _

_Another man entered the room. He was followed by a girl with blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She seemed to be about my age._

"_Roxas." Her voice was soft and calming. She gently stroked my cheek. I immediately stopped crying. _

"_I promise I won't hurt you," she whispered, taking hold off my head. We locked eyes for a minute, before she let go and turned around._

"_Any__one we should know about?" questioned one of the men. He had long pink hair and a malicious smile. His callous eyes sent a shiver down my spine. _

"_A girl. His best friend. He has too many strong memories attached to her," Naminé replied, indifferent._

"_She'll have to be taken care of. Who would like to do the honors?" asked the man with the British accent._

"_Should we send the four young ones? They need the experience."_

"_No. They aren't ready for something as important as this."_

"_I will do it," said a new voice._

"_The Superior," all the men uttered in unison, as they slightly bowed their heads._

_The man who appeared to be the leader walked up to me. He seemed to be satisfied at what he saw._

"_Finally, we have found him. The Key of Destiny."_

_Naminé gave a small gasp. The men turned to look at her, noticing that she was still there._

"_Naminé you are dismissed," ordered the man with the pink hair._

_She gave one last look at me before leaving._

"_Is he really the chosen one?" asked one of the men._

"_Yes, Whirlwind Lancer, he is."_

"_Superior are you sure that you wouldn't rather have one of us kill the girl?"queried the man with the British accent. _

_What?! Kill?! No!_

"_Olette!" I screamed._

xXx

Someone was shaking Roxas.

"Come on. Wake up Roxas!" It was Axel.

Roxas bolted upwards. He was relieved that he had only been dreaming. Of course he knew that it wasn't just a dream, it had actually happened. He could still remember sitting there terrified, wondering where he was and where his parents. Later on he learned that they had died in a car crash that somehow he had survived. It hadn't been an accident, but a plot by the Organization. Somehow they had found him. Their chosen one. The one who would lead the Organization to victory. Roxas didn't know what that meant exactly, only that he would have to something terrible. He had been forced to train since he was thirteen to become a killer. They all had. Demyx, Axel, Zexion, and Larxene had been chosen by the Organization because of their unique abilities. _At least I was older when I was taken, _Zexion was six, Axel eight, and Demyx nine. Larxene had joined the year before Roxas. All four of them had also been thought be the chosen one, but Xemnas had figured that Roxas, the most powerful of the five children was the one who would fulfill the prophecy.

"Earth to Roxas," Axel laughed. "Anyone home?"

"Har har. You're so funny." Roxas stood up and glanced at the clock. It read 9:00.

"Crap!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah. That's why I woke you up. Xemnas is pissed that you missed training. He wants to talk to you."

"Why didn't you wake me up before training?" Roxas asked, irritated.

"I was going to, but Luxord stopped me. He said it was your responsibility to be on time. Sorry man," Axel responded, looking guilty.

"It's not your fault. Luxord's right. Guess I should go talk to The Superior." The two of them walked down the stairs towards the meeting room. Roxas knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in," commanded Xemnas.

"Good luck, buddy," Axel said before going back up the stairs.

Roxas entered the room and stood in the middle. It was the one from his memory. Thirteen thrones surrounded him. Only six were filled. Apparently Vexen and Lexaeus were both on missions. _Something's wrong. They wouldn't all be here if this was just about missing one training session._

"Superior." He bowed his head, which was the customary greeting.

"Key of Destiny," began Xemnas.

Roxas flinch. This did not go unnoticed by the five other men.

"Superior he is not ready for this," disputed Marluxia. The others started talking at all at once, agreeing with him.

"Silence!" bellowed Xemnas. All talking ceased.

"Graceful Assassin do not question me. I believe that Roxas is ready for this. That is final! If you disagree with me again you will be punished."

"My apologies Superior. I will not disobey you again," Marluxia stated obediently.

"Good. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. Key of Destiny it is time for you to start fulfilling your purpose. Do you know what that is?"

"To remain loyal to the Organization, and no one else," he recited. As soon as the words had left his mouth he thought of Olette. _I will do any thing to protect her. She may not remember me, but I will never forget her, _he thought faithfully.

"Yes. But they time has come for you to do more. To fulfill the prophecy. Vexen, Lexaeus you may bring them in now!" Xemnas declared.

_What? No, I'm not ready for this! I can't handle being a murderer,_ Roxas thought frightened.

He turned around, and breathed a sigh of relief. Vexen and Lexaeus weren't carrying a person, like he had thought. Instead they both held something that resembled a giant key. One was black, while the other was silver. Vexen handed the silver one to Roxas. He examined it, admiring the beautiful craftsmanship.

"This is Oathkeeper. It represents light," Xemnas instructed. "The other one is Oblivion, which represents darkness."

Roxas transferred Oathkeeper to Vexen. He then took Oblivion from Lexaeus. It too was magnificent.

"What are they?" he asked Xemnas

"They are keyblades. They will aid you in fulfilling our prophecy. You are the chosen one who will help us conquer."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope you enjoyed it. I might not be able to update for a couple weeks due to the cruelty of my teachers. Why must they give us so much homework right beofre Christmas? But I will try my best.

Anyways please review, even if you have before. I really appreciate constructive critism. Thanks.


	4. False Laughter:R

Here is chapter four!!!

A big thanks to The Light of Darkness for reviewing, as well as japaneserockergirl for reveiwing all three chapters! Huzzah!!! Also I agree with rather having homework before christmas, than during the break. And of course an uber thanks to sugarhigh-ninja3 for once again editing.

This chapter is also about Roxas and the other Organization members. I thought it was important to show a wee bit of their past. Also, i think writing in Roxas' point of view is a lot of fun. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Although it is a wee bit angstyer than usual. Hope you enjoy!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Why did this happen to me? Why did it happen to any of us? What makes us so special? _

_I used to understand so much. I used to be normal. _

_No, that's not true. I was never normal. Everyone stayed away from me. It was almost as if they knew I was wrong. Something that logic couldn't explain. Their instincts told them I was different, so they kept their distance. Except _her. _She was the only friend I had in my old life. _

_My parents blamed themselves for my lack of sociality. They believed that moving constantly was the reason for my reclusive nature. I was never a freak to them. _

_How would have they responded if I had shown them what I could do? What I had discovered I could create at the age of twelve. Would they have been astonished? Or terrified like I was?_

xXx

Roxas strummed his fingers on the arm rest of his throne. Xemnas had been droning on for ten minutes. The elders were discussing something. Roxas had zoned out about fifteen minutes ago. He was supposed to be listening closely, like the other four teenagers. _There's probably going to be a test on this,_ he thought bitterly. Marluxia liked to make sure that the five young ones were keeping on track. They had six training sessions a week, as well as a weekly meeting with the elders. The meetings tended to be long and tedious. The five teenagers weren't allowed to talk, unless addressed by The Superior. Roxas sighed as he looked up. He figured he'd better start paying attention.

"Cloaked Schemer, Flurry of Dancing Flames, Melodious Nocturne, Savage Nymph, Key of Destiny you are dismissed," Xemnas concluded his speech.

Roxas jumped down from his chair. _Crap. I'll have to ask Axel what Xemnas said. _The five teenagersfiled out of the meeting room, looking bored. They could still hear the muffled voices of the elders debating another issue.

"Does anyone know what the hell the Superior just said?" Axel questioned. For once he wasn't smiling. It had been an exhausting week. Luxord had made them train for two extra hours today. By the time the meeting had ended it was already technically morning.

Roxas groaned. Axel understood and turned toward Demyx, who pulled out his earphones.

"Did you guys say something?"

Axel and Roxas simultaneously let out a "shit".

"Don't even bother asking me. I wasn't paying attention either," Larxene stated.

All four of them looked expectantly at Zexion. He glowered back.

"Come on Zexy. We all know you were paying attention," Larxene purred.

"Then why didn't you ask me in the first place?" he asked sulkily.

"Cause we figured your explanation would be the same length of the original speech," Axel answered bluntly.

"Just for that I'm not going to tell you. Maybe next time you'll actually listen. Though I doubt it," Zexion said flatly.

Larxene skipped up to him. "Please tell us," she whispered seductively into his ear. "I would really appreciate it."

"Um he was talking about the importance of preparing for missions, rather than just acting impulsively," he stammered.

"Thanks." She pranced off towards her room, leaving behind a dismayed Zexion. Roxas, Axel, and Demyx were practically rolling on the floor with laughter.

"Why didn't you try that Axel?" Demyx sniggered.

"Go to hell Demyx," Axel laughed.

"What? Aren't you the Flurry of Dancing Flames?" Demyx teased. Roxas howled with laughter. Axel retaliated by shooting flames at Roxas' cloak hem. Demyx intercepted the fire with a jet of water.

"Idiots," Zexion muttered before heading off toward his room.

"You know you love us Zexy!" Axel shouted after him.

"Out of all of us, he takes the Organization the most seriously," Roxas stated, solemnly. _Why couldn't he have been the chosen one? He would be more than willing to fulfill the prophecy._

Axel noticed the sudden shift in Roxas' mood. _What about the Organization is bothering him?_

"Well, Zexion has been here the longest. He was raised on Xemnas' crazy 'parenting' skills. The Organization is probably the only family he can remember," Demyx explained.

"Family," Roxas scoffed.

"You know Roxas, not all of us had two loving parents. The Organization_ is_ the closest thing to family we have."

Roxas looked up at Axel, comprehension dawning on his face.

"Shit man. Your dad. I'm sorry," he apologized.

"You remembered. I'm so flattered," Axel responded, indifferent.

"I'm sorry," Roxas repeated hanging his head.

"No prob. It was that bastard's fault not yours," Axel smirked, returning to his normal self.

Demyx, who had been looking uneasily at the floor, looked up and spoke. "At least you guys remember your parents. Xemnas had Naminé erase my memory of them."

Axel and Roxas stared at him, shocked. Demyx never talk about his past. They had assumed that it was too painful for him.

"Guess I was crying too much," he laughed darkly.

"Maybe you should write a song about all of our angst. Fan girls love that stuff," Axel grinned, trying to lighten the mood. The three boys laughed. It felt strained but it helped in deceiving themselves into thinking everything was all right.

xXx

Naminé stood behind a corner, listening to the three boys talk. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She wasn't allowed to attend the meetings, so she had waited upstairs for it to be over. When she heard them coming she got up to talk to Roxas, but stopped when they began to talk about their past. It didn't really matter, because she knew about everything they were saying. After all she was the one who erased Demyx's memories about his family. Xemnas was upset about a failed mission, and had no patience for a blubbering nine year old.

Naminé knew all about the young Organization member's pasts. She knew about Axel's abusive father, who left cigarette burn scars on his arms. She knew about Larxene, who hated her strict, but still kind parents as well as Roxas' love for his best friend, who no longer remembered him.

Whenever the elders "recruited" someone they had her check their memories, in order to see if someone was a danger to the Organization. Demyx had just been the unfortunate one to be her first victim. Xemnas had just wanted him to forget his parents, but Naminé, who had little control over her ability at the time, had accidently erased _all _of his memories.

To the Organization, she was just a tool. She was stolen from her house when she was seven. Xemnas had been severely disappointed when he discovered her ability. It wasn't powerful enough for her to be the one to fulfill the prophecy. However, he had found a purpose for her.

She heard the three boys say good-night and head toward their rooms. Wiping her eyes, she decided against talking to Roxas and returned to her own room.

xXx

_I hate Mondays, _Roxas thought sourly. He was sitting against a tree, waiting for the bell to ring. Everyone around him was talking excitingly about their weekends. From the snippets he heard, Riku had thrown a massive party on Saturday. According to Kairi, who was gossiping to Naminé near him, it was the party of the year. Roxas groaned. Kairi's strident voice was slowly driving him insane. Normally he read before the bell ring, but today his brain felt like mush. Xaldin had kept him up until three in the morning for extra training.

_This is what a hangover must feel like, _he determined. Of course, he would probably never know what one really felt like. Mostly because the smell of alcohol made him sick, but also because Axel had told him about his alcoholic father. Roxas already had so little control over his life; he didn't need something that could possibly make it worse.

"Penny for your thoughts man," Axel said, sitting down next to Roxas. He was wearing the school uniform with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, despite the chilly weather. Roxas could faintly see the scars that covered his arms. He had once asked Axel why he had still ended up smoking, despite his father's idea of punishment. Axel had just laughed it off, claiming that the apple must have not fallen far from the tree.

"Um Roxas? You okay?" Axel asked, wondering why Roxas hadn't responded.

"Yeah sure. Just tired I guess." He shook his head, as if to rid himself of his melancholy thoughts.

"Don't give me that crap. I know something's up. Are you gonna tell me? Or do I have to force you?" Axel smirked.

"Nothing's wrong. Drop it," Roxas laughed, trying to get Axel to change the subject.

Axel, who knew better to let it go, still continued to press the issue. "If I guess right, will you tell me?" When Roxas didn't respond he began to speculate. "Is it school? How bout a girl?"

"Axel you're starting to piss me off."

"I knew it! Who is she?" Axel exclaimed.

"You're a tool Axel."

"That's so sweet. Roxas is in love!" Axel shouted. Several people, including Kairi and Naminé, turned to stare at him. Naminé and Kairi giggled before returning to their conversation. Just then, Roxas noticed another group close to where he and Axel were sitting. It consisted of two guys and a girl. _Olette, _he thought when he saw her. Axel perceived what he was looking at. He gave Roxas one of his Cheshire grins.

"I'm guessing that's her."

Olette looked up and noticed the two boys staring at her. Axel waved. She grinned and went back to talking to her friends.

"She's cute," Axel commented.

"Who is?" Axel and Roxas looked up in order to see Demyx. He was leaning against the tree, holding his guitar case. His hair was gelled up in a faux-hawk and he was wearing a sweatshirt over his uniform that matched his eyes perfectly. Axel smirked when he saw a group of freshmen girls standing ten feet behind Demyx.

"Gotcha self a fan club," he said pointing.

Demyx looked behind him. The girls giggled nervously and pretended to be immersed in their conversation. He turned back around and rolled his eyes.

"I'm so damn irresistible," he stated, with a hint of smugness.

Axel and Roxas exchanged a cynical glance and sniggered.

Demyx ignored them and repeated his question.

"New girl," Axel answered.

"How do you know her?" Roxas inquired.

"Just bumped into her and started to talk. It's actually pretty easy to meet new people when your head's not in a book."

Roxas was about to respond with a sarcastic remark, when the bell rang. The three boys gathered their stuff and began to head toward the building. As they passed the group of freshman girls, who were still talking despite the bell, Demyx gave them a smile.

"See you later, ladies."

The girls blushed deeper than the color of Axel's hair.

"That was cruel. Now they actually think they have a chance," Axel laughed, after they had entered the school.

"Freshmen are fun," Demyx said, grinning.

"Pig." Kairi and Naminé were walking behind them, and had heard their conversation.

The three boys spun around to face the two girls.

"What was that Sweetie?" Demyx asked amiably, with a look of amusement. Apparently Kairi didn't find him funny. She responded by giving him a look of pure hatred. Naminé, on the other hand, was staring at the floor, trying to hide her smile. Several people shoved passed the group, making rude comments about blocking the hall.

"You heard what I said." Turning to Naminé she whispered, but still loud enough for the boys to hear, "I can't believe you live at that creepy foster house with these freaks. It's bad enough that your parents died when you were young. Now you're forced to be under the same roof with kids who are unwanted."

Axel, Roxas, and Demyx bristled at the remark. Even Naminé seemed offended by Kairi, although she did nothing to defend her other friends. Axel stepped forward, but stopped when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder.

"Shouldn't you five be getting to class?" The Music History teacher asked. The five teenagers looked around, noticing that that the hallways were starting to empty out.

"Yes, Mr. Strife," they murmured. He gave them a slight smile, before returning to his classroom. With one last fleeting glance, the five went their separate ways.

xXx

Roxas breathed heavily. He brought his fingers to his lips. Pulling them away, he saw the dark blood that stained his hand. He could taste it too. Sick and metallic. His head throbbed.

"Stop," he gasped. "I can't take it any more."

But his opponent had no mercy for the exhausted teenager. He swung his scythe, wounding the boy's cheek.

Roxas staggered from the pain. He could feel the blood running down his face. His eyes blurred and he fell to his knees.

"Please," he pleaded again.

"You are weak, Key of Destiny. You will fail," bellowed the cruel voice. "This training is pointless. You are nothing."

Roxas shook with rage. His anger boiled and screamed within him. He could feel something dark and sinister begging to be released. It began to over power him, refusing to be controlled. Finally he gave up fighting. The power seemed to explode from him, engulfing the whole basement in darkness.

xXx

_I used to understand so much. Or at least I thought I did._

_What a fool I was. Everything is changing._

_I fear that this power I have will consume me soon._

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Hope you like it! Please review.

Also, every web site I've been on says that Roxas' element is light, but in the actual game it says it is darkness. Roxas tells Sora he is someone from the darkness and in Jimminy's journal it says that Roxas is a "denizen of darkness", so I'm making Roxas' element be darkness. It's more angsty and it makes more sense than him controlling light.

Next chapter will focus on Olette. I'm probably going to alternate each chapter.

Thx! And remember to review!!!!


	5. Invites, Smiles, and a Phony Accent:O

Here is chapter five!! Sorry it took so long to update. I had to write an essay for school and I got ReCom for Christmas so I've been playing that nonstop.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed as well as favorited my story. Big thanks to my editor. You all rock. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Some parts I'm not really sure that I like, but felt they were necessary. Hoped everyone had a happy holiday as well as a happy new year. Hurray for 2009!!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Something was different. I stood there in the center of the clearing, trying to remember what I was supposed to be doing. Why was I here? What was wrong? I closed my eyes, trying to focus. _

_Opening my eyes I remembered. I was supposed to be running, trying to catch him. Where was his voice? I strained my ear, listening for his cocky banter. _

_Nothing. Silence._

_Had he given up? Gotten bored? Had I lost him completely? _

"_Where are you?" I shouted desperately._

"_Behind you," he answered._

_I whipped around._

"_Roxas?" I whispered uncertainly._

_He just grinned boyishly._

_But this wasn't the Roxas I had seen at school. He looked younger. Shorter, less built and more innocent. His electric blue eyes were still tinged with melancholy, but there seemed to be something brighter hiding underneath._

"_How do you know me?" I asked._

_When he didn't answer I became frustrated. I was growing tired of his games. Why wouldn't he give me the truth?_

"_Fine. Don't tell me. I'm leaving." I knew I sounded immature, but I didn't care._

_I turned away from him, but he was suddenly right in front of me. I gasped. He was no longer the boy who had stood before me earlier. He was the Roxas I remembered from my first day. All the mirth had been drained from eyes. His face had hardened and lost all of the laughter of childhood. _

"_Olette," he breathed, his eyes fixated on mine. _

"_I don't understand what's happening." I searched his eyes, as if they held the answers I needed._

_He wrapped his arms around me, bring me closer to him. I didn't' resist. He felt safe and right, as if I was supposed to be there. We stood there for a minute just breathing each other in._

_Suddenly he pulled away. _

"_Olette you need to run," he commanded urgently._

_I gaped at him, unable to comprehend what he was saying. _

"_Go!" he yelled._

_Only then did I fully see what was wrong. His once beautiful blue eyes were as black as coal. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. _

_A horrified scream echoed off the trees. I clamped my hand over my mouth, when I realized the noise had come from me. _

"_Please," Roxas pleaded, before being swallowed up by darkness._

xXx

Olette woke, screaming into her pillow. Getting off her bed she noticed she was shaking. She calmed herself down by breathing in and out slowly. _It was just a dream_, she rationalized. Only it hadn't felt like a dream. He had been there holding her. She had felt his breath on her neck, the warmth that seemed to radiate from him. _It seemed so real._

She felt like crying. The thought made her confused. Why did Roxas make her feel this way? She didn't even know him. Yet something in the back of her head whispered _of course you know him_. Shaking her head to rid herself of the thought, Olette began to get dressed for school.

xXx

Olette sat on a cold stone bench looking at her hair. She was searching for split ends. Whenever she found one she used her fingers to pull it apart. Sighing she looked up for what seemed like the hundredth time. _Where are Pence and Hayner?_ she wondered. There was still ten minutes before the bell, but they were usually there by now. She returned to her hair, smiling triumphantly when she pulled apart a strand of hair that had split twice.

"You really shouldn't do that. It's terrible for your hair." Olette looked up at the person who had just sat down next to her. Kairi smiled warmly. Olette was shocked. It was the first time she had seen Kairi unattached from Sora or not giggling madly with Naminé.

"I used to do it all the time, but now I use this awesome shampoo that strengthens hair. If you want I can get you some. It's really expensive and they only sell it to people of a certain level of status."

Olette blinked, trying to figure out why Kairi was talking to her. Realizing she needed to respond she said, "Um thanks for the offer, but its okay. I like the shampoo I use."

"If you change your mind just ask," Kairi smiled again.

"Thanks," Olette stammered, lamely. She looked at Kairi, expecting her to realize that it was Olette, not someone from her from her inner circle, and walk away. Kairi surprised her by asking, "Are you going to Riku's party this Friday?"

"No," Olette answered confused. _Why is she talking to me? Did she accidently hit her head this morning?_

"Why not? You have to come!"

"I wasn't invited."

"Stupid Riku! He must have forgotten to invite you. I swear even though he's the smartest one in our grade, he must have the shortest memory span. Actually I think all guys have the memory of goldfish," Kairi laughed.

Olette racked her brain. Riku hadn't mentioned anything about a party. She'd had Spanish with him yesterday and all they talked about was a book they'd both read.

"I got to go. Sora's getting annoyed. He's so cute when he gets jealous that I'm spending time with someone other than him. So I'll see you at the party?" Kairi asked, standing up.

"I'll think about it. Thanks for the invite."

"No prob. Hope you can come. Riku will be so happy." With that last tidbit she skipped off toward Sora who was looking at Olette with extreme curiosity.

xXx

By lunchtime Hayner and Pence still hadn't shown up. Olette assumed they were both sick. She sat down at their usual spot and began to nibble on her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Due to the chilly weather not many students were eating outside. A group of field hockey players, including the blonde girl who sat next to Olette in Calculus, were talking very loudly near her. She didn't want to rude and eavesdrop on the girls' conversation, but they apparently didn't mind if everyone in the courtyard heard what they were talking about.

"So Larxene, how come you're not dating one of those sexy guys you live with?" one of the girls asked.

The girl with the blonde ponytails laughed before answering, "Are you kidding? All four of them are freaks. Haven't you seen them?"

"Demyx is kind of cute," replied another girl.

"Is he the one with the red hair?" questioned a fourth girl.

"No that's Axel. The drama weirdo. Demyx is the one glued to his guitar," Larxene responded.

"I always see you talking to Zexion. What's that about?"

"Zexion is just a toy. Something to play with when I need something to be done or when I'm bored. It's fun to see him drool like a dog,"

"What about the guy with the pink hair? I saw him at the flower shop a couple weeks ago. He's handsome."

"Marluxia is older than I am."

"Isn't he like twenty something? That's not too old." All the girls except Larxene giggled at the idea of dating someone not in high school or even college.

"Marluxia is like a father to me. Can we talk about something else? I'm bored," Larxene retorted.

The girls then began to talk about something field hockey related. Olette looked around at the other people. She loved to observe people and see how they interacted with others. The only problem was when they started to look back. Not wanting to seem creepy, she decided to stop watching and pulled out her book. The front cover was bent and torn. It was impossible to see the title on the spine, due to the number of times it had been cracked open. Normally Olette kept her books in the best condition possible, but she had read this book so many times it had gotten shabby. She continued to read the familiar plot until the bell indicated the end of lunch.

xXx

Walking into her Calculus class Olette noticed two things. The first was that Riku smiled when he saw her walk in. The second was Roxas' face. She almost gasped when she saw him, but stopped herself. His beautiful face was scarred by a bright red gash leading form his left eye down to his chin. His other eye was surrounded by a black bruise that was badly covered up with makeup. It looked as if he had tried to hide his wounds, but had given up when he realized it was inevitable that everyone would notice them. _What happened to him?_she pondered. She didn't have long to think before Riku came over to her.

"Hey Olette. I'm having a party this Friday. I was wondering if you could come. There's going be tons of food as well as a keg…"

Olette didn't hear the rest of what he was saying. Instead she was looking over his shoulder toward Roxas. Roxas was reading a book that was just as badly torn as the one she was reading. In fact as she looked closely she noticed it was the same book. This surprised her. She had found the book in the basement of a bookstore she had worked at two summers ago. There had been no other copies and no other bookstore had known anything about it. She had assumed it had gone out of print years ago. Roxas turned his head and noticed her staring. His blues eyes seemed to burn right through her. She quickly snapped her attention back to Riku.

"…my parents will be out of town so there'll be no problem hiding the alcohol," he concluded. When she didn't respond he asked, "Can you come?"

'I'm sorry, but my parents aren't going to allow me if your parents aren't home."

Riku just laughed.

"I'm not kidding," she replied annoyed.

"No, I know that. I figured your parents wouldn't let you. That's why you lie. You're supposed to tell them 'of course his parents will be home' and 'there won't be any alcohol'." When he saw her face he added, "Haven't you ever lied to your parents?"

"I have, but not about any thing like this. And I also don't drink," she responded coolly.

Riku gave her a look of disbelief, but before he could say anything else the bell rang. The two of them both scrambled for their seats. Their teacher had a strict policy about tardies. They had to be in their seats before the bell. No exceptions. Luckily the teacher hadn't arrived yet. When ten minutes passed and there was still no teacher everyone either started talking or pulled out their cell phones to text. The girl sitting next to her, or Larxene as she now knew, did both. Twenty nine minutes passed. The students began gathering up their things. It was an unspoken school rule that if a teacher failed to be in a classroom in half an hour, the students were allowed to leave. Olette planned to go the the library and study until her next class. Everyone watched the clock as the last ten seconds passed. They all cheered and jumped up from their seats. Olette noticed that Roxas moved out of his chair gingerly. He winced anytime someone brushed by him. She watched him with a mixture of curiosity and concern until he had left the room.

"Coming?" Riku asked. She stood up from her desk and headed toward the door. He stepped back to let her out of the classroom first. Giving him a smile of thanks she headed down the hall. Riku followed her.

"Where are you planning to go?"

"To the library. I need to study for a test tomorrow."

"You can study later. Come hang out with me."

"I'm sorry, but I really need to study."

Riku gave her a smile that could melt ice. "How bout I help you then?"

"That would be great. Thanks."

"No problem."

When the two of them entered the library Olette gave a small gasp. Riku chuckled at her reaction. The school library was the biggest one she had ever seen. Shelves overflowing with books lined every wall. There were groups of tables for studying and comfortable looking chairs for reading or just talking quietly.

"Can I help you with anything?" The librarian asked sweetly, getting up from her desk. "We just got a new shipment of books. I'd be happy to recommend one."

"Thank you Mrs. Gainsborough, but we're just here to study," Riku replied, charmingly.

"Well, if you need anything just ask." She went back to her desk and began sorting through papers.

Riku lead Olette to a table secluded in a corner.

"You're awfully smooth when it comes to adults," she commented, sitting down.

"It pays to be charismatic," he grinned. He scooted his chair closer to Olette's. She felt her cheeks warm up at the proximity of him.

"Now, what subject do you have a test in?"

"History."

For the next hour Riku quizzed Olette on her notes. When the bell rang she thanked him and got up to leave, but Riku grabbed her arm.

"I really hope you can come on Friday," he smiled, staring straight into her eyes. She noticed the intensity of his bright green eyes. They were determined and full of desire. It made her feel slightly uncomfortable, but still delighted that someone thought of her in that way.

"I'll do my best," she answered, yet secretly wishing that those eyes that held such passion for her were electric blue.

xXx

Music History started off normally. Mr. Strife told them all to take out their notebooks as he began the lesson. His vigorous manner of teaching enthralled all of his students. It also didn't hurt that he was movie star gorgeous. Olette assumed that almost every other girl in the class was taking it just to see him. They hung on to his every word, often asking numerous questions just to receive a minute of attention. It didn't matter to them that it was common knowledge he was engaged to the librarian.

As nice as a teacher Mr. Strife was, he was also very strict. Apart from the seldom day when he let the class do what ever they wanted, he was always cramming information into their heads. Many students thought of him as their favorite teacher because he expanded their knowledge and encouraged them to interpret music in different ways. Music History was one of Olette's favorite classes. She could look forward to it every day she had to endure Calculus.

"Class you can put away your notebooks now. I'm going to explain your next upcoming project." The whole class let out a collective groan. Apparently no matter how cool Mr. Strife was, his projects were still as challenging as every other teacher's.

"Don't worry. You won't have to start right now. I'm only going to briefly explain the gist of it. You'll be working in partners." The whole class gave a small cheer, but began to whine when he continued. "I'll be picking the partners for this one, yes I know you all hate when teachers do that, but our jobs are to make you as miserable as possible," he laughed, the class laughing along with him. "You will be making a poster on a band of your choice. It'll be a fun, easy project. I expect everyone to get an A on this. Now, there's ten minutes left of class, you may use it however you want to," he concluded.

_This project will be great!_Olette thought as she pulled out her book._I just hope I get a good partner. I wish I'd get paired with Roxas_, _but I know the odds aren't good_. She looked across the room toward where he was talking to Demyx. At the exact same time he turned and looked at her, their eyes locking onto each other. A shiver ran down her spine. Feeling brave she gave him a slight smile. He seemed astonished, but recovered quickly and returned with a warm smile of his own. Breaking the connection between the two of them, she returned back to her book. After a few minutes, she couldn't resist her curiosity any longer. Lifting her eyes, she searched for Roxas, but he was no longer there.

xXx

Olette sat on a cold bench, cursing softly to herself. She couldn't believe her own stupidity. As she had sat on the bus waiting for it to depart, she suddenly realized she had left one of her textbooks at the library. Her backpack had felt lighter, but she had been too caught up in what had happened with Riku, as well as her some what strange occurrence with Roxas, to notice. By the time she had run back to the library and found her book lying clearly on the table, her bus had already left. Her dad was in an important meeting and her mom was busy taking care of toddlers, so she had called Leon begging to be picked up. His college was an hour and a half away, but he had promised to get there as soon as possible. Already an hour had passed. She could have been reading to pass the time quicker, but her brain was too filled the day's events, to be able to focus on much else.

"Ello." Olette looked up, surprised to see Axel.

"Hey Axel. Did you miss your bus too?"

"Nah, I had play practice. It let out early because the director was getting frustrated with the people who still don't know their lines," he answered with a clearly fake British accent.

"Um what's with the accent?" she asked smiling.

"We're doing Sweeny Todd, which is set in London. So I'm practicing my accent until I've either perfected it, or until someone hits me over the head to stop. I'm betting on Luxord being the one to make me stop. He's actually British, so he believes that I'm mocking him. Now that I think about it this talking in this accent does serve multiple purposes," he laughed.

"Luxord?"

"He's one of the leaders of HEART," he answered. Olette gave him a confused look. "Oh right, you're new around here. You know how me and some others all live at the same foster home?" He waited for Olette to nod before continuing, "It's called HEART. Helping Extraordinary Adolescents Re-integrate Team. Xemnas, the leader started it about twenty years ago. He and some of his closest friends took in a group of troublesome, yet genius children who had been either abandoned or abused and raised them to be well behaved and successful. When they grew up they helped find more kids with the same criteria, except not so much the badly behaved part. Five others and I are those kids."

"I'm sorry," she responded sincerely.

"About what?"

"You must have gone through a lot when you were younger."

He shrugged. "It's okay. What does not kill you only makes you stronger. Besides if I'd never gone to live at HEART, then I would have never met my two best friends. It's a pretty nice place to live." His face clouded over for a brief second, but it was so fast Olette thought she must have imagined it.

"Great," he said sarcastically looking over her shoulder, "Larxene's field hockey practice finished."

"She doesn't look too happy." Olette had turned around and seen Larxene stomping across the yard.

"Yeah, there's a big game tomorrow, but she got caught drinking a beer by Xemnas and can't play in it," he smirked. "I bet you it storms tomorrow, so the game gets cancelled."

"It's supposed to be sunny and warm tomorrow," she replied, skeptical of what he was proposing.

"Would you be willing to bet money on it?" he asked.

"Five dollars," she answered, confident. She stuck out her hand. Axel shook it, grinning.

xXx

Olette woke up to a bang of thunder. Running to her window, she perceived that it was pouring. She stood there for a second in disbelief, before cracking up.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hoped you guys liked it. Please review and tell me if there's anything I could improve on, anything you don't like, or the things you do like. Thanks again!!!!


	6. Shattered Glass:R

Here is the next chapter. Thanks to japaneserockergirl, Midnight Hikari, and Zacheria for reviewing. I love getting reviews! Also thanks to my awesome editor.

I'm going to apologize in advance for this chapter. It's kind of a filler, but there are some important parts. Also there's a really bad pun in it, so bad no one will probably even notice it, but it is still there. Hope you guys enjoy!!!

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_When will this end? Can't they see I'm at my breaking point? _

_It's not fair! I want to live a normal life. Is that really too much to ask for? _

_Damn the Organization!_

_No, mustn't get angry. That's what they want. Mustn't give them the satisfaction. I refuse to be a pawn on their chessboard. _

_Yet, no matter how hard I try I feel myself losing control. I'm slowly chipping away. The darkness is seeping through the cracks. _

_What is to become of me?_

xXx

Roxas sat in a plush chair doing his Calculus homework. He chewed on the eraser, determined to actually get an answer instead of just scribbling incoherent numbers so the teacher thought he had done his work. Zexion had offered to help, clearly wanting to show off, but Roxas had told him to go away a few minutes later, suspecting him of making up words. Zexion had huffed off and plopped down into another chair in the spacious living room. He was now reading a biography about some dead guy Roxas had never heard of. Out of the Organization Roxas and Zexion were the only ones who read for fun, but neither had similar tastes in books. Roxas loved science fiction, fantasy, murder mysteries, and classics. Zexion read non-fiction and _only _non-fiction. The only time Roxas remembered Zexion laughing was when Roxas suggested that he read a novel instead of his normal encyclopedia.

"This is just sad Roxas." Roxas looked up from his textbook to see Axel staring at him with a look of disapproval.

"What? I need to finish this. Unlike _some _people, I at least try to do my homework," Roxas retorted.

"It's a Saturday night. I'd expect this behavior from Zexion, but not you. You're not a social pariah like him."

"Hey! I'm right here," protested Zexion from his chair.

Axel turned to face him. "When did you get here Zexy?"

Roxas laughed silently. He knew that Axel had known that Zexion was there.

"First of all don't call me Zexy. Secondly…"

"You don't have a problem when Larxene calls you Zexy," Axel interrupted.

Zexion opened his mouth to argue, but determined it was pointless. Instead he just narrowed his eyes and returned to his book, muttering something that sounded like "…swear to God Axel."

Axel rolled his eyes, ignoring him. He turned his sights onto Roxas, who had begun to pack up his things, hoping to sneak quietly back up to his room and avoid Axel's third degree.

"Not so fast buddy," Axel smirked, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

"I'm not in the mood, Axel. Besides, how can you judge me? You're still here."

"This isn't about me," Axel replied, sitting down on the arm of the chair. "You've been brooding for much too long. Do you want to be more depressing than Zexion?"

Zexion muttered something from his chair but Roxas and Axel both ignored him.

"That's not fair Axel. It's not possible to be more morbid than Zexion," Roxas stated.

Feeling fed up Zexion snapped his book shut and stomped out of the room. Axel and Roxas waited for him to go up the stairs before cracking up.

"Is it something we said?" Axel laughed.

"Nah. Zexion is just so melodramatic," Roxas smiled.

"Now that he's gone are you going to tell me what the problem is?" Axel asked, his mirth replaced with seriousness.

Roxas took a deep breath before explaining to Axel, "You know that girl Olette?" Axel nodded. "Well," Roxas continued, "Before I came to the Organization I was best friends with her, but now she's…"

"…Forgotten you," Axel finished. His usually sarcastic tone was full of nothing but sympathy for his solemn friend.

"More or less."

Axel gave him a puzzled look, but didn't press the issue any further.

"Damn Xemnas and this whole Organization!" Roxas yelled suddenly, slamming his first on the nearby coffee table.

Axel was taken aback by the sudden burst of anger. "Calm down Roxas," he appeased, pointing to Roxas's other hand. Roxas looked at his hand, where an orb of darkness had formed. Instead of closing his palm to smother it, he threw it across the room where it hit the wall, shattering the glass on the photo frames that hung there. Roxas smiled triumphantly. He hated those pictures. Xemnas had them taken in case anyone outside of the Organization was visiting. He wanted people to think they were one big happy family. The pictures showed Roxas and the others smiling and laughing. None of them were candid. They were just another lie, one of the many that kept the charade going.

"No offense Roxas, but that was kind of dumb. The elders will be pissed."

"I don't really care," Roxas snapped.

Axel narrowed his eyes. "I know you're livid with a bunch of people, but I'm not one of them. So I'd appreciate if you'd stop taking your frustration out on me. I'm only trying to help."

Roxas' face softened. "I'm sorry. That was out of line," he apologized.

"No worries," Axel replied, waving his hand dismissively in the air.

"I guess I've been kind of a jerk lately."

"No worse than Larxene," Axel laughed.

"Ouch. That bad?" Roxas asked, cringing

"It's okay. Everyone has bad days. You've just had several in a row."

"Heads up. There may be more to come," Roxas sighed.

Axel raised his eyebrows. He knew Roxas was keeping something from him. "I know Olette isn't the only thing bothering you. Come on Roxas. I'm your best friend. What aren't you telling me?"

Roxas was about to respond, when a loud noise came from the foyer, causing the two boys to jump.

They both chuckled sheepishly, feeling ridiculous as they realized the source of the noise was the front door shutting. Roxas glanced at his watch. He looked up confused.

"What?" Axel asked.

"It's eleven. Who's just getting back? The elders are all in a meeting, Larxene is still grounded from creating that thunderstorm and we just saw Zexion."

"Then it's got to be Demyx," Axel determined.

"Or Naminé."

Their question was answered when they heard a soft giggle.

"That's Naminé. Unless Demyx's voice has gotten a lot more feminine since I last talk to him," Axel smirked.

"I'm gonna go with the former. But where was she?"

"Have you forgotten Naminé has friends outside the Organization? She hangs out with that Kairi girl and those two other guys." Axel explained.

"So this is where you live? It's pretty cool," said a male voice from the hall.

"That's not Naminé," Roxas stated.

"No shit, Sherlock," Axel retorted. He crept toward the doorway, trying to make as little noise as possible. "Who did she bring over?"

Roxas followed him, still a little bit peeved at Axel's last remark. He stood on the other side of the doorway, trying to see Namine's guest without being seen by the two of them. Normally he didn't care what Naminé did, but he was slightly intrigued to discover who the boy she was with was. Roxas had always had a creeping suspicion that Naminé had a crush on him, but from the tone of her voice and the constant giggling it sounded as if she had just been on a date with whoever she was talking to. _Who is it? His voice sounds familiar, _Roxas pondered. Suddenly a light bulb went of in his head.

"It's Riku," he whispered to Axel.

"The silver-haired kid?"

"Um what are you guys doing?" asked a voice from behind them.

Axel and Roxas both jumped and turned to see Demyx, who staring at them with one eyebrow raised. Both gave him a death glare.

"How'd you get in here?" questioned Axel.

"The secret passageway," Demyx answered pointing to a hidden door in the wall. There were several passageways hidden throughout the Organization's mansion. The elders didn't really have a purpose for them, but the teenagers usually used them for sneaking out at night.

"Oh yeah. Why didn't you just use the front staircase?" Roxas asked.

"This was faster. And I'm lazy," Demyx answered, crouching down next to Roxas. "Now, what are you guys doing?'

"Naminé brought her date home," Axel explained, coming to the same conclusion as Roxas had.

"Fascinating," Demyx replied, sarcastically.

"Shut up, Demyx," Roxas retorted. Now that he knew who the voice belonged to, he ached to get up to his room and blast his music so loud, that he was incapable of thinking. He was just glad that Naminé and Riku had distracted Axel long enough for him to forget about their earlier conversation. What he didn't understand was why Axel cared so much about Naminé and Riku.

"You're really pretty Naminé. I bet you hear that all the time," Riku complemented, suavely.

"He's a real Casanova," Axel smirked.

"Naminé can't be falling for his crap," Demyx stated.

"I believe she is. I can practically hear her smile," Roxas replied.

"That bastard," Axel snarled suddenly, shocking Demyx and Roxas.

"What?" they both asked in unison.

Axel gave Roxas a look that seemed to say_ 'Are you kidding me?'_

"Axel, what's the prob…?" Roxas trailed off, realizing what Axel was mad about.

"Olette," he whispered, feeling the anger starting to build. "That asshole!"

"Huh?" Demyx asked.

"It seems that Riku here is a two timing tool," Roxas growled. His hands shook with rage._ Must keep in control_, he told himself, trying to hold back the darkness that wanted to explode from his fingertips.

"Wait a minute. Olette? You mean that girl in our Music History class?"

"Calm down Roxas," Axel soothed, noticing that the blond was shaking. "He's not officially dating Olette, so technically it isn't cheating. I've only seen him flirt with her."

"How can you defend him?" Roxas barked.

"Dude, I'm confused," Demyx said. But the other two just ignored him.

"I'm not defending him. I'm just saying that he isn't cheating. He's not dating both of them. Only Naminé. But," Axel added after seeing Roxas's face, "he is still a jerk for flirting with Olette if he is going to date Naminé." He didn't mention to Roxas what he had seen while he had been in the library a few days ago, for fear of angering him even more. _Riku was sitting pretty close to her_, he thought. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but he had been spending his free study period in the library and had been searching for a book near where Olette and Riku had sat. From the way Riku had looked at her it was pretty obvious of what he was thinking of. _If I mention that to Roxas, he'll probably kill Riku. He seems slightly unstable right now._

"Guys quiet. I think someone is coming," Demyx whispered. Sure enough they heard two sets of footsteps getting louder. All three of them rushed to a chair, and pretended to be doing something else. Demyx pulled out his iPod, Axel grabbed a magazine off the coffee table, and Roxas opened his notebook and began writing down random numbers, as if he were engrossed in his homework.

"Hey guys," Naminé said from the doorway.

The three boys looked up, realizing that Riku was standing next to her.

"Hey Naminé," they greeted, in unison.

"Do you guys know Riku?" she asked.

"Yeah he's in my math class," Roxas replied. "Hey, man," he said, raising his hand in a quick wave. _Get a grip man, _he told himself. _Can't lose control. Not in front of that bastard._ He looked over at Axel who was watching him anxiously, as if he was waiting for a bomb to detonate. Roxas mouthed angrily _I'm fine._

Axel stood up and held his hand out to Riku, who shook it firmly. "The name's Axel."

"Got it memorized?" Roxas and Demyx chanted, unenthusiastically, at the same time that Axel asked Riku.

"Very funny guys," Axel laughed, half annoyed, half amused. "That idiot over there," he said, pointing to Demyx, "is Demyx."

Demyx threw a magazine at Axel's head, missing him by an inch.

"Nice to meet you," Riku responded coolly. He put his arm around Naminé and whispered into her ear. She giggled as her cheeks turned pink.

Roxas felt his hands begin to shake again. He stuck them into his pockets, hoping Axel and Demyx wouldn't notice. He glanced at them, feeling relief as he saw that they were oblivious. Instead both were frowning slightly at Riku. Naminé stood there, twirling her hair, captivated at whatever Riku was talking about. Roxas was shocked. He'd never seen her act this way.

"Well, I've got to go. I had a great time," Riku smiled after a few minutes. Without even caring that the three other boys were in the room he pulled Naminé to him and kissed her on the mouth. From the corner of his eye, Roxas saw Axel tense up. The both of them stepped forward just as Riku and Naminé broke apart. With one last wave Riku walked out into the hallway. Roxas waited until he heard the door shut before saying to Naminé, "Are you two a couple?"

"I think so," she answered dreamily. She stood there dazed, grinning from ear to ear. Roxas and Axel exchanged worried looks, but she didn't notice.

"I have to call Kairi," she exclaimed suddenly, breaking out of her trance.

"Naminé wait," Axel said, but she had already skipped out of the room.

"What were you guys planning on doing? Punch him?" Demyx asked.

"I felt like it," Roxas mumbled. He wasn't very happy with Naminé at the moment, but he still felt protective of her. Almost like an older brother. Apparently Axel felt the same way.

"Should we tell her?" he asked gloomily. No one answered him. "No. It'll break her heart," he whispered to himself. "Besides," he added more loudly, "if Riku is officially dating her, maybe he's stopped pursuing Olette." He turned toward Roxas and gave him an encouragingly smile. Roxas didn't return it.

"Don't give me that look. I'm trying to be optimistic. You do know what that feels like right? Or have you've been angsty for far too long, you've forgotten how it is to be happy?" Axel joked.

"It comes in bursts these days, but there are times when I don't feel like a temperamental teenager," Roxas responded, flatly. _Axel's right. Must stop overreacting. I need to control my anger and jealousy better. Besides, _he thought, Olette's face forming in his mind, _she can never be mine._

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

As much as I love Riku, I had to make him a wee bit of a jerk, or else Olette would fall for him instead of Roxas, which would be terrible.

Hope this chapter was good. Next chapter will still be about Roxas. I wanted to add a lot more after the one scene, but I have a mild case of writer's block. And this part has been done for a while, so I figured I'd post it now and write more later. Please review! It means a lot to me to hear what you think.

Also if you managed to catch my terrible pun Huzzah! If not I don't blame you it was BAD. Remember when Roxas wanted to escape Axel's third degree? Get it? Axel controls fire. Third degree burns. Lame. I know.

Review!!!!


	7. Heart of Ice:R

Here is the next chapter!! Thanks to Midnight Hikari for reveiwing. Please more people review!! It means a lot. Big thanks to my editor.

I had a lot of fun writting this chapter. I came up with the whole idea in English class when I was zoning out while my teacher was talking about verbals. Something positive came out of being bored to death.

By the way the scene when Roxas is fighting Vexen, almost all of his lines and attacks are from the actual game.

Enjoy!!!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Life sucks. _

xXx

Roxas stared at his reflection, frustrated. The gash that Marluxia had left on his face seemed to more conspicuousthan ever. _I wish I could break that damn scythe of his, _he thought bitterly. It wasn't fair that the elders got to use weapons while training him.

He was supposed to be using Oathkeeper and Oblivion, but so far they wouldn't let him. They claimed he wasn't ready to use something so powerful. His ability to conjure up and control darkness was the only thing he could rely on. Even that was proving to be useless. He could only generate small orbs at a time, unless he lost control over his emotions. Which seemed to be occurring more often.

The darkness fed upon his anger, growing stronger each day. Marluxia had been bedridden for days after Roxas's first training session with him. Apparently the darkness Roxas produced, was painful to everyone, but him. No matter how many times he tried to grasp how his ability worked, it changed, making it impossible to understand. He could feel the darkness within him growing stronger. It was almost a constant battle to control.

_Isn't this supposed to be getting easier? Shouldn't I have more control than I did before?_, he mused. The wound on his cheek seemed to be mocking him. The more training session he had, the more injuries he accumulated. Three teachers had already asked him if there was a problem going on at home.

He couldn't really blame them. After all, one of his eyes and nose were both bruised. The worst part was the huge scar that began at the corner of his left eye, trailing down to his chin. Bruises were easy to hide with the help of Larxene's makeup, which Axel had managed to smuggle out of her room. However, the bright angry gash was not.

Roxas had noticed Olette looking at it, concerned. She wasn't the only one. Several people had been gawking at his face. He really wished they would stop. It made him uncomfortable being noticed, so he did very little to attract attention to himself. In fact, he was starting to miss those days when those around him stayed away.

"Way to be narcissistic," Larxene sneered from the doorway.

Roxas turned toward her and smirked. "That's a big word for you, Larxene," he retorted.

"Ha. Ha. You're so funny," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Either tell me what you want or leave me alone."

"Vexen wants you in training room three," she said, in a bored tone as she inspected her polished fingernails.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Do I look like your secretary?"

Roxas looked her up and down. She was wearing tight jeans with an even tighter v-neck top, which revealed much more than he wanted to see. "Actually, you look like a slut," he answered bluntly. It was always fun for him to see how far he could anger her before she did something that would get her in trouble.

Hatred flashed across her face, but she quickly composed herself. She stepped up to him and waved her finger in a scolding way. "That's not very nice Roxas. Perhaps you need to learn some manners."

Roxas's instinct flared. He jumped to his right a second before Larxene kicked, intending to hit him in the stomach. Her foot made contact with the bed post. She cried out in pain as Roxas began to laugh.

"Shut up!" she growled, her eyes smoldering.

"It's my room. I'll do whatever the hell I want to," he continued to laugh.

"You jackass!" She threw her hand up in the air to fry the smile off his face.

"Larxene," reprimanded a cold voice from the hallway. She whipped around, drawing back the electricity that sparked from her fingertips. Marluxia was standing with his arms crossed, a harsh look on his face.

"How difficult is it for you to deliver a simple message?" he asked. She opened her mouth to apologize, but Marluxia cut her off. "I don't want to hear your excuse. Just get down to training room two. I'll be there in ten minutes. Is that easy enough for you to understand?"

"Yes, Graceful Assassin," she replied, quietly.

Larxene trudged out of the room with her head hanging in shame. Roxas felt a little compassion for her. He knew that out of the whole Organization, Marluxia was the person Larxene respected the most. After all he had been the one to recruit her. To Larxene he was her savior. The one who had rescued her from the life she thought was unsatisfactory. Disgracing him was the one thing that eroded her pride.

Marluxia turned his sight on Roxas. His eyes flickered over to the scar on Roxas's cheek. "You should be more careful, Key of Destiny," he said, his tone sardonic on the last three words. "Wouldn't want your face to get any more deformed than it already is. That would be a shame," he added sarcastically.

Roxas held his tongue. He wanted to retort, but knew it would be futile. Marluxia already made his life a living hell. Angering him would only make it worse. _I wish I could wipe that triumphant smile off his face._

Marluxia's eyes gleamed. "Vexen is waiting." The corners of his mouth curled into a sinister smile. With one last menacing glare, he strode out of the room.

xXx

Roxas made his way down the basement floor stairs. He cringed at the thought of his upcoming training session with Vexen. Out of all the elders, he hated Vexenthe most. There was just something about him that gave off a creepy vibe. _I wish I didn't have to train with all the elders,_ he thought as he slowly continued down the stairs.

The other four young Organization members had a mentor, who primarily trained them. It was usually the person who found and brought them to the Organization. Marluxia was Larxene's, Demyx's mentor was Xigbar, Zexion was trained by Vexen, and Axel had two; Lexaeus and Xaldin. Before Roxas had been christened 'The Chosen One' his mentor had been Luxord, but now all the elders took turns training him.

Besides Xemnas, Saix was the only elder member without a mentee. He was second-in-command to Xemnas, which Roxas had always found puzzling. Saix was from the second generation of the Organization. Xaldin, Vexen, and Xigbar had helped start the Organization, so it would seem logical that one of them would be second in power.

Axel theorized it was because Saix was more severe than the three in the first generation. Vexen was spineless; Xaldin found Organization matters to be tedious; and Xigbar would rather be friends with the young teenagers than discipline them.

_Demyx is so lucky. His mentor is the only cool elder. I have to train with them all, _he complained to himself. _Actually, Luxord isn't that bad. I wish he was still the only one who trained me. _

Finally Roxasreached the last step. He was in a circular room with five doors surrounding him. Demyx and Xigbar were coming out of the door farthest from him. Both were laughing. Roxas felt a pang of jealousy when he saw how happy Demyx looked.

"Hey dude," Xigbar greeted Roxas.

"Hey. How was the training session?" Roxas asked, trying to keep the envy out of his voice.

"I totally kicked his ass," Demyx grinned.

"As if," Xigbar scoffed, but his eyes held pride for the teenager._ Almost like a father would for his son, _Roxas mused.

"Who are you training with today?" Demyx inquired.

"Vexen," Roxas responded miserably.

"Ouch," Xigbar stated. "Good luck." He and Demyx started to make their way up the stairs. Demyxlooked back to give him a fleeting sympathetic look.

Roxas walked over to the door for training room three. As he reached for the knob, it opened. He stepped back, surprised when Naminé walked out.

"Roxas!" she gasped, noticing him. Her eyes looked puffy, but it was hard for him to tell if she was crying since she immediately looked at the floor.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she replied, but her voice cracked on the word 'fine'.

"Naminé you're scaring me. What's wrong?" Roxas was used to seeing Naminé sad, but never like this. He used his finger to gently lift her chin, in order to see her face. She refused to look him in eye. "Naminé I can help, whatever it is."

"I'm so sorry Roxas!" she sobbed, pushing past him.

"Naminé wait!" he yelled, turning around. She was already running up the stairs. _Should I follow her?_ he thought.

"I can hear you. Get in here Key of Destiny!" Vexen's cold voice called from within the room.

Roxas debated whether to blow off his training session. He stood facing the stairs. _I'll get in trouble, but what if Namine's upset about something serious. _

"Now!" Vexen commanded.

"Someone help!" cried a girl's voice from the room.

Roxas whipped around. _No! It can't be!_hethought frantically. Running as fast as he could, he entered into the room. His heart was beating so rapidly it felt as it if would explode. _I must have heard wrong. It's not possible!_

Vexen stood in the middle of the room beaming. Roxas's heart stopped. Vexen _never_ smiled. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Key of Destiny, your lack of motivation is unacceptable. I've been keeping a record of your progress, and so far you have made very little. That is why I have decided to give you a little incentive to do better." Vexen's grin widened and his eyes flashed with delight.

A shiver went down Roxas's spine. He opened his mouth, but the words got stuck in his throat. _He cant' mean… no he wouldn't. _

Vexen slowly stepped to his right. Sitting behind him, on the floor, with her hands tied behind her back, sat Olette.

Roxas's head spun. He felt like he was going to be sick. _No. This can't be happening! _

"Roxas!" Olette cried out.

Her scream pulled him out of his shock. He ran toward her, but Vexen blocked him.

"You bastard!" Roxas shouted. "You son of a bitch!"

"Enough!" bellowed Vexen. "If you want to save her, you must fight."

"I'll kill you for this Vexen!"

"We'll see."

Roxas was blown back by a sudden burst of ice. He fell to the ground, hitting his head. As he was getting up his eyes blurred for a brief second. Reaching back to touch his head he felt the warm liquid leaking out of the wound.

Looking up, he searched for Vexen. He noticed Olette had crawled over to the farthest wall. _Good. Now she won't get hurt. _Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a chunk of ice heading toward his head. He ducked in order to avoid it.

"This is pathetic," Vexen taunted from behind Roxas.

Roxas spun around. Vexen was holding a giant blue shield. _What the hell? Where'd he get that?_

Roxas conjured the biggest orb of darkness he could and hurled it at Vexen. Vexen merely raised his shield and blocked it easily. He countered Roxas's attack by launching a spike of ice. It grazed Roxas's right cheek. Roxas ignored the stinging pain and tried to remember how he had felt when he knocked Marluxia out with his darkness. Hearing Olette sobbing in the corner, it wasn't difficult for him to feel the rage at Vexen.

Although not as powerful and vast as the one time, he was able to generate an orb of darkness the size of his head. He heaved the darkness at his adversary. Vexen moved his shield to block it, but the darkness seared through it.

"You imbecile!" Vexen yelled. He threw out his arm, sending an enormous ice cube at Roxas, intending to freeze him. Roxas tried to roll out of the way, but the ice managed to catch his foot. He attempted to pull his leg out, but it was impossible. He was stuck. Smiling, Vexen slowly began to approach him. He stopped about halfway and threw up his arm.

"Come to me Ice Blade!" A giant sword of ice formed in his hand.

"Shit!" Roxas swore. _That thing is going to kill me._He opened up his palm, but was unable to produce an orb of darkness. His fear was making it hard for him to concentrate enough to accumulate the darkness. Glancing up, he saw that Vexen was about ten feet away. Suddenly he felt something heavy in his hand. He looked down and saw the black Keyblade.

"What the?" he said out loud in disbelief. The Keyblade seemed to be emitting power. Roxas could feel himself getting stronger. He swung the keyblade upwards, just in time to block Vexen's sword. The Keyblade shattered the ice blade the moment it made contact. Vexen stumbled back, astonished. Using the Keyblade, Roxas broke the block of ice, freeing himself.

Without even thinking about it, he threw the hand not holding the Keyblade up in the air. Thirteen tendrils of darkness rained down upon Vexen. He threw his arms up in front of his face to protect him, but it was no use. He fell to the ground after being struck down by the darkness.

Roxas walked over to him and nudged him with his foot. When Vexen didn't move, Roxas turned him over in order to see his face. He jumped back when saw Vexen's eyes, devoid of life.

_I... I killed him,_Roxas stammered, horrified. _I've killed another human being. _He could feel himself shaking with fear. The Keyblade slipped from his fingers. The sound if it hitting the ground echoed through out the room. Backing away from Vexen's body, he remembered Olette. He could hear her crying.

"Are you okay?" he asked running over to her. "Did he hurt you?"

Olette jumped up and backed up as far as she could. Roxas stopped where he was. Her eyes were terrified at the sight of him.

"Get away you freak!" she screamed. "You killed him!"

He stepped back, stunned. "Olette it was an accident. I didn't mean to. I lost control. Please believe me. I was trying to protect you?" _What's going on? It's been awhile since we were friends, but this isn't her. She wasn't afraid that time in the woods, _he wondered. His intuition was telling him that something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what.

"You're a freak! You're not human!" she continued to yell.

"Don't say that! I'm not going to hurt you. I love you." Tears were streaming down his face. The person he carded about the most was proving his fears to true. _No! Something's not right! This isn't her. She wouldn't say these things. This isn't…_

Something in Roxas's brain clicked. He couldn't believe he hadn't realized it sooner. Conjuring up a small orb of darkness, he threw it at Olette's face. Falling, the illusion of Olette dissolved, leaving behind an unconscious Zexion.

The sound of someone clapping made Roxas turned around.

"Bravo!" Vexen applauded. He was standing next to the dead Vexen on the floor.

"How?" Roxas sputtered, glancing at the dead Vexenand the live one.

"You really know so little about our kind Roxas. Some of us, if powerful enough, can use our energy to make copies of ourselves. Well, not real copies. They're made up of data." Vexen explained.

"How did Zexion know how to imitate Olette?" Roxas growled.

"Naminé of course. She was the one who showed him your memory of the young girl as well as what she looks like now. Zexion, being the brilliant pupil he is, played the part exceptionally. I'm impressed that you were able to see through the fabrication. He almost had you deceived for a moment."

_That's why Naminé was upset. She knew what they were planning, _Roxas reasoned. The fact that Vexen had used two innocent girls, even if one was just an imitation, for his diabolical plans, made Roxas's blood boil.

"Why did you do this?' shouted Roxas.

"I evaluated your information and determined this would be the best method. It got you to summon Oblivion. As well as unleash more of your great power."

"This was all for me to become worthy of your damn prophesy? You bastard!"

Vexen's face darkened. "Aren't you glad your beloved Olette wasn't actually harmed?"

Roxas stood dumbfounded. He was relieved beyond belief that Olette had never been in this terrible place. _But now I'll always have that memory of her calling me a freak._ He knew it wasn't really her who had said those things, but the idea of her afraid of him, would haunt him forever.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hoped you liked it. I had originally intended for this chapter to end right when Roxas saw Olette in order to have a cliff hanger, but decided against it. The chapter would have been too short and it would have been cruel to leave you guys hanging.

Roxas's response to the Ice Blade was the exact same as mine when I first saw it in ReCom. I think it's so dumb that the final boss battle took me one try, but beating Vexen took me forever. I REALLY hate Vexen.

Please review even if you have before. It is much appreciated. Thanks again!!


	8. Flickers:O

Chapter 8!!

I is a wee bit sad that no one reviewed on the last chapter. But an uber thanks to Buffy123 for favoriting me as an author. That made my day. Also thanks to my editor, who without, my story would have millions of commas and other stupid mistakes.

Hope you guys like this and aren't getting bored.

A/N: The dream part may be a wee bit confusing. When it says 'my voice' it means Olette's subconscious is talking to her. Sorry, but I had trouble wording it so it made sense.

Hope you guys enjoy. I really like this chapter, expecially the end.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Noise. Nothing but noise._

_It was all around me, echoing off the trees. Incomprehensible syllables mixed with laughter and screams. They jumbled together, making it impossible to single out the different voices. My head throbbed. The noise only got louder._

"_Stop!" I yelled, but my voice was drowned out by the sound that seemed to come from everywhere._

_I fell to my knees, covering my ears with my hands. It didn't work. The noise continued to seep through._

_Instead, I tried to comb through the noise. Maybe if I could figure out what it was, I could stop it._

_Almost as if the noise understood me, it began to quiet down. Not very much, but enough for me to distinguish my own voice from the others._

"_Please remember," my voice whispered from the woods._

"_Try harder," called my voice, this time from behind me._

"_Remember what?" I asked._

_No reply came. The forest was silent._

"_Remember what?" I repeated louder._

"_Me," said a familiar voice._

_I turned around. Roxas stood there, looking somber. I ran to him, faltering when he began to fade._

"_No! Don't leave me!" I pleaded, running faster. _

"_It's not my choice," he responded remorsefully. I reached out to grab him, but my fingers grasped at nothing. He was gone._

_The noise began again, louder than ever. I fell to the ground and curled up in a ball, hoping it would end soon. Tears rolled down my cheeks, mourning for my lost Roxas._

xXx

Olette woke up crying. However, she wasn't surprised. The same dream had been recurring for the past four nights. She groaned as she looked at her alarm clock. It read one o'clock in the morning. Normally she would be glad she had hours left to sleep, but the thought of reliving her nightmare a second time in one night was daunting. _Just another perk of being sick, _she grumbled, sarcastically to herself.

Apparently, the reason Hayner and Pence had been absent was that they both had the flu. They had passed it to Olette. She had gone to school on Thursday feeling fine, but after nearing the cafeteria and smelling the food, had bolted straight to the nurse's office. The nurse had taken her temperature and sent her home. In the end, she hadn't needed to ask her parents about Riku's party. She had spent her Friday night sleeping on the bathroom floor.

Like most people, whenever Olette was sick she had the same dream over and over again. Usually she would wake up and not remember most of the dream because it had been so confusing. But this dream was different. She remembered every detail. It would have been better if when she was dreaming she could anticipate Roxas disappearing, but in her dream she was always oblivious of what was going to happen next. It always felt like the first time.

Olette pulled the blanket over her head and laid there for a few minutes before falling asleep.

_Noise. Nothing but noise…_

xXx

Finally, on Wednesday, Olette felt well enough to go to school. As she stepped off of the bus, she searched for Hayner and Pence. They were sitting in their usual spot. Relief flooded Olette. She had been worried that they would still be sick and that Kairi would sit with her again.

_That was so weird. Why has Kairi been nice to me?_she pondered. Kairi had to be up to something. It seemed odd that she would be glad about the whole Riku thing. In fact, it was almost as if she was encouraging it.

"Hey Olette," Pence greeted as Olette was sitting down.

"Hi guys. Feeling better?" she asked.

"Much. Sorry about getting you sick," Hayner apologized.

"It's not a problem. Better than school."

"That's not true. You love school," Pence stated.

Olette elbowed him gently. "I was trying to make Hayner not feel guilty."

"Oh."

"Way to go, Pence. Now I'm overcome with guilt," Hayner joked. The three of them laughed.

"Hate to break up the fun, but can I borrow Olette this morning?" said a voice, which belonged to the person suddenly standing over them.

"Hi Riku." Olette smiled, looking up.

"Would you like to join us?" he asked, gesturing to Sora and Kairi, who were standing behind him. Olette noticed Naminé was missing.

"Um," she stammered looking at Hayner to gauge his reaction. He was frowning slightly, but said nothing. "I'm sorry, but I'm hanging out with these guys. Maybe another time."

Riku's face darkened for a second, but he quickly went back to his warm manner. "Rain check?"

"Sure. Thanks for the invite."

Riku, Sora, and Kairi waved and left without even acknowledging Hayner or Pence. The group sat in uncomfortable silence for a few seconds before Hayner finally spoke.

"If you wanted to go with them, no one is stopping you." His tone was slightly angry and he refused to look Olette in the eye.

"No. Why would I sit with them? I sit with you guys," she answered sincerely.

Pence and Hayner grinned at her.

"Thanks, Olette," Hayner said.

"For what?" she question, confused.

"For being you," Pence beamed.

"You guys are weird," she joked.

The three of them continued to talk merrily until the bell rang.

xXx

Hayner and Pence rummaged around through what seemed like endless shelves of books. All around them, students scrambled to find what they needed. Teachers loved to give projects around mid-term. Hayner and Pence were working together on a project for Government. Due to their procrastination, many books were already checked out.

"We're screwed," Pence stated.

"Yup," Hayner agreed after flipping through a book in which the font was almost impossible to read, it was that small. He placed the thousand page book of doom back on the shelf.

"Excuse me. Are you going to use that?" A nerdy-looking girl asked him, pointing at the enormous book.

"Take it," Hayner said, handing it to her. She thanked him and ran off toward the checkout.

"Totally screwed," he repeated to Pence.

They continued searching for anything they could use. After five minutes of coming up with nothing, they moved on to another shelf.

"Raise you hand if you hate this project," Hayner said to Pence. Both of them raised their hands, laughing when they noticed others around them had overheard and were also raising their hands.

"We have five minutes before the period ends," Pence stated, panic rising in his voice.

"Don't worry. We'll just bullshit the whole thing like we always do," Hayner replied, trying to assure Pence, as well as himself.

"I can't believe Olette won't take the bait!" whispered someone, a shelf over from where they were.

Pence and Hayner looked at each other, worried.

"Who is that?" Pence asked, quietly.

"I don't know. Damn these shelves for having a back," Hayner whispered.

"Kairi, I don't understand why you care so much," said a male voice.

"Using my awesome reasoning skills, I'd say that's Kairi," Pence laughed.

"And Sora," Hayner added, bitterly.

"I'm bored," Kairi whined.

"That's low even for you. Isn't Naminé your friend? How could you do this to her?" snapped Sora.

"Sora has a conscience?" Hayner smirked.

"Shh! I want to hear what they're saying," Pence replied.

"God, Sora. I'm just having fun. It's what we girls do," Kairi retorted.

"Oh. My mistake. I forgot all girls backstab their friends as well as hurt random people.

"Naminé knows. She's fine with it."

"I highly doubt that. Does Riku know he's one of your pawns?" Sora growled.

"I don't appreciate you talking to me like that. I'm your girlfriend!" she exclaimed.

"Kairi, you know I love you, but this is too mean. Just let it go," Sora asserted.

"Why do _you _care? It's not like you're friends with Olette."

"So? And may I remind you I used to be friends with Hayner?" Sora asked.

Pence looked over at Hayner, who seemed surprised.

"I didn't think he'd ever admit that," Hayner said, shaking his head.

"And may _I_ remind _you_, that you were _nothing _when you hung out with him," Kairi answered Sora with fake sweetness.

His reply was drowned out by the bell ringing. Pence and Hayner waited until they saw Sora and Kairi walk away before leaving.

"What are we going to tell Olette?" Pence asked.

"To stay the hell away from those assholes. I don't care if she gets mad at me. It's for her own good."

"She won't get mad," Pence assured, "Olette knows that we care about her."

xXx

Olette tapped the desk with her pencil. _I hate math. I hate math,_ she repeated for the hundredth time. It hadn't mattered that she had missed the review session for the mid term; she was still being forced to take it. The test consisted of a hundred questions and so far she had only answered eighty.

Closing her eyes, she tried to focus. Instead of Calculus coming to mind, she saw a brief flash of a younger her, holding hands with someone else. She couldn't tell who it was because they were all blurry. Opening her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her noise. Ever since she had gotten sick, flickers of images kept coming to her. They came at random moments, but were usually of the same thing. Always her, but younger, with someone else, but too blurry to see. They were starting to become more frequent.

_Must concentrate! _She shook her head, clearing the image, and glanced at the clock. _Crap! Only ten minutes left. _The problem she was stumped on needed a formula in order to answer. Currently Olette's brain was clogged with Spanish vocabulary, history dates, and more information she would never need after the school year.

She sighed and moved on to the next question. The last nineteen were extremely easy. With five minutes left, she had finished all, but the one question.

Two minutes passed. Almost everyone, including Riku, had already finished. The only ones still working were Larxene, Roxas, and herself.

_What is it? Think Olette, think! Wait a second…Huzzah! _

Heads turned to stare at her and she blushed, realizing she had said the last word aloud. She quickly scribbled down the formula and the answer a minute before the teacher collected the test.

Olette breathed out a breath of relief. Others around her were also expressing their joy.

"Quiet down, class," the teacher instructed, yet there was slight smile on her face.

Riku stood up from his desk and walked over to Olette. She could have sworn she saw Roxas peeking at them for a brief second, but when she glanced again he was buried in his book.

"How do you think you did?" Riku asked.

"Ugh! I don't want to think about it."

"I'm sure you did great." He smiled.

"Thanks. How do you think you did?"

"One hundred percent correct," he replied, smugly.

Olette winced internally. _That sounded too arrogant. Even if he really thought that, it was kind of rude, considering he knows I think I didn't do well._

"You sound a little bit too confident," she said teasingly, despite the truth her words held.

"I'm just kidding," he responded, but he seemed offended by what she had said. Almost as if she had insulted him.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that I'm sorry for missing your party," she said, changing the subject.

"It's okay," he said, the warm smile returning to his face. "Glad you're feeling better."

"Thanks."

The bell rang before he could say anything else. The two of them left the classroom and went their separate ways.

xXx

Olette sat at her desk with her fingers crossed secretly under her desk. Mr. Strife was announcing the pairs for their project. She really hoped that the fates were pleased with her and she would get Roxas as a partner.

"Roxas and Fuu," Mr. Strife announced.

Olette's face fell slightly. _Was it my imagination or did Roxas look disappointed too? No. Why would he? _she thought. She uncrossed her fingers and began doodling in her notebook.

"Demyx and Olette," Mr. Strife continued down the list.

Olette glanced up and smiled at Demyx. He smiled back and whispered something in Roxas's ear. Demyx let out a cry of pain as Roxas smacked the back of his head. Olette giggled, drawing the attention of Roxas. He blushed and looked toward the teacher. Mr. Strife had chosen to ignore the disruption and read off the last pair.

"You may start working now. Use your time wisely," he said, before sitting at his desk.

Olette stood up, grabbed her backpack and walked over to Demyx. She tried not to glimpse at Roxas, but failed. He was staring at her with a curious expression on his face. When he noticed her looking, he quickly began gathering up his things.

"Hi," she greeted Demyx.

"Hi. We haven't officially been introduced. I'm Demyx, but you already know that," he replied.

"And I'm Olette," she smiled.

"Oh. This is Roxas," Demyx said, grabbing Roxas by the arm before he could walk away. Roxas threw him a dirty look, but Demyx simply smiled.

"Hi Roxas," she said, her stomach flipping as she said his name.

"Hey." He held out of hand to shake. On his fingers were two rings, a basic black one and a plain white one. She shook his hand, feeling the blisters on his fingers.

Suddenly the edges around his face blurred. His numerous scars and bruises faded away, leaving behind the innocent face of his younger self that Olette had seen in her dreams. No longer did his blue eyes look sad; they seemed to be laughing at some private joke.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She blinked. The edges became clear again and his face returned to normal. He was looking at her with deep concern.

"Olette?"

"I'm fine. Sorry about that. Cool rings by the way." She smiled. _What just happened?_

"Thanks," Roxas replied.

Demyx coughed, softly. Olette looked down, seeing that she was still holding Roxas's hand. Blushing, she removed her hand from his grasp.

"Nice to meet you Roxas," she said.

"Same," Roxas replied. He smiled, but his eyes, full of melancholy, contradicted the grin.

"Roxas." Fuu was standing behind Olette, looking annoyed.

"Coming." He waved quickly at Demyx and Olette before joining his partner.

"So can we work on this after school? Maybe at my house?" Demyx asked with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"I guess. I hate to ask this, but my parents have trained me too well. Will there be adults there?" she asked.

"Are you kidding? HEART is crawling with adults," he laughed. "Aren't you old enough to be home without supervision?"

"Yes, it's just that my parents always want me to ask just in case. It's dumb, but I do it to make them happy."

Demyx laughed again.

"Do I amuse you?" Olette smiled.

"Nope, it's just- never mind. Can you come over today? I'm tutoring a group of wannabe Jimmy Pages until three, but you can hang out at the school until I'm done and I'll come find you."

"You a Led Zeppelin fan?" she asked.

Demyx looked as if he was going to kiss her.

"Finally! Someone at this school knows great music," he exclaimed. Several kids turned and stared, but he ignored them.

Olette giggled. "I can wait after school. I'll be in the library. Will you be able to drive me home afterwards? My parents both work late."

"Yeah, no prob. Axel owns a car, so he'll take us all over to our place after his play practice and he can drive you home when we're done working on the project."

"Great. Thanks," she replied.

"Anything for a fellow Zeppelin fan." Then, looking over her shoulder he yelled, "Hey Roxas, Fuu's coming over after school to work on your project right?"

Olette turned around to see Roxas. He looked confused.

"Is that okay with you?" he asked Fuu.

"Sure," she said unenthusiastically.

"Then, yeah, she is," he answered Demyx's question.

Olette turned back to Demyx who was grinning wider than ever.

"Great. So, you'll be in the library waiting for Axel to take us home?" Demyx asked Roxas.

"Yeah, as usual," Roxas replied, sounding puzzled.

Olette gaped at Demyx. _Did he just do what I think he did? Why?_

Demyx gave her a look that seemed to say _'You can thank me later'_.

xXx

Olette sat in a comfortable chair reading a book. Or rather, reading the same sentence over and over again. Every few seconds she would look around to see if a certain someone was there yet.

_Why is Demyx keen on getting Roxas and I together? Or was it just in my head and Demyx was really asking Roxas for the sake of asking? Damn! Why must boys be so difficult to understand?_ she pondered.

Already, she had been in the library for twenty minutes and there had been no sign of Roxas. Feeling frustrated, she got up from her chair and began perusing the shelves, hoping to take her mind of Roxas.

_I'm not hoping I just missed him and he's looking at the shelves or anything, _she told herself.

She continued to look at books, pausing occasionally to read the summary of one that looked interesting. Compared to her old school the selection was extremely improved. At her old school, it was almost impossible to find a book that hadn't been written thirty years ago. Here, it seemed as if the shelves never ended.

"Hey," said a voice next to her, causing her to jump. She turned, seeing Riku standing there, smiling.

"Sorry. Did I scare you?" he asked.

"It's okay. I was just zoned out."

"I noticed," he laughed.

"So, what's up?"

He took a step closer to her. "Just waiting for Sora to finish practice. You?"

"Waiting for my ride," she stammered. He grinned, taking another step toward her.

"Do I make you nervous?"

Before she could answer, he pushed her up against the shelf and kissed her.

She knew she should have felt excitement. After all, almost every girl in school would kill to be in her spot at the moment. But the kiss was all wrong. It was too harsh, too forceful.

She shoved him. "Riku, stop."

"What? Don't you like me?" he asked, his eyes darkening.

"I'm sorry, but…"

He pulled her toward him and kissed her again.

"Stop!" she yelled, pushing him back.

Yet Riku didn't take the hint. "Come on. Don't be that way." He leaned in to kiss her a third time, but a hand grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back.

"I believe she asked you to stop," growled Roxas.

"Get your hand off me," Riku snarled.

"Not unless you apologize to her," Roxas commanded.

"This isn't any of your business."

"Either you apologize and walk away, or I'm going to beat the shit out of you," Roxas threatened.

"Fine. Sorry, Olette," Riku sneered. He stepped back and walked out of the aisle. "You shouldn't waste your time," he smirked, glancing back, "she's a tease."

"Are you okay?" Roxas asked, after Riku had left.

"Yes. Thank you so much!" Olette gushed.

"No problem. Did he hurt you?"

"No. I just don't understand why he acted like that. He was always so nice," she replied.

"Seriously? Riku has never been able to take 'no' for an answer. At least as long as I've known him."

"I was actually scared for a moment. Thank you so much."

Roxas smiled. "It was nothing," he responded, blushing slightly.

"There you guys are," Axel said, running over to them.

"Hi Axel," Olette greeted.

"Hi. You guys ready to go?"

"Yup," Roxas answered.

They exited the library and headed toward the parking lot, where Demyx was waiting. Axel climbed into the driver's seat and Demyx sat in the passenger seat, leaving Roxas and Olette to sit in the back. As soon as Axel pulled out of the parking spot, Roxas took a book out of his backpack and began reading. Olette glanced at the cover, wondering what the book was. She noticed his two rings on the hand he was using to hold the book.

An image flashed across her mind. It was the same one as before, her holding hands with someone too blurry to see, but this time she realized the hand she was holding was wearing two rings. One black. One white.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Really hoped you guys liked it.

Sorry Riku fans. I had to do it. Even though he's my favorite character from the first game. I love Roxas more.

Please, Please review. Tell me what you don't like, so I can improve. Tell me what you love, so I can keep doing it. Thanks so much. You guys are awesome.

Review!!


	9. Turquoise Among Pink:O

Hi! I'm so sorry for the late update. But here is the next chapter.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed as well as Thirteenth Struggle for favoriting me. Thanks uber much. And of course thanks to my editor, whom without I would have been mispelling Kairi's name in more than just one chapter.

I'm so excited. My friends and I are going to an anime convention (we are nerds!!) and we're cosplaying for the first time as the Twilight Town gang!!!

Enjoy the chapter!!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Laughter. Where is it coming from?_

_Children's laughter. I can hear them. Where are they?_

_A boy's and girl's. Could it be?_

_I walked toward the sound._

"_Wait," someone whispered from behind, grabbing my hand._

_I didn't even need to look to see who it was. I'd know his voice anywhere._

_Still, I turned toward him. He stood there smiling encouragingly, yet his eyes were sorrowful._

"_I'll come with you," he stated._

_Together we strolled through the trees. He didn't speak. I wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. All was silent except for the innocent laughter that escalated into a crescendo. _

_Suddenly he stopped and let go off my hand._

"_What's wrong?" I asked._

_He didn't answer._

"_Roxas?"_

_After a few minutes of silence, he responded. "Why don't you remember?" _

_I stood there, gazing at his electric eyes, unable to come up with a reply._

"_This is how it should be. Me and you. Together," he said. _

"_Why isn't it that way?"_

_He laughed without humor. The harsh noise sounded strange coming from him. A shadow flickered across his face and for a brief second, he looked menacing._

_I stepped back, tripping over a root. He reached out and caught me, pulling me to him. _

"_The darkness. I can't control it," he whimpered, his eyes afraid. No longer did he look frightening. He looked so vulnerable, so terrified._

"_Olette, you are the only one who can help."_

"_How? I barely know you," I replied._

"_That's not true. You know something isn't right. You feel like you've known me all these years. I feel right to you. My absence is wrong. Something is missing from the picture. Someone should be there. Try and remember. Please," he pleaded._

"_I want to, but something won't let me."_

"_Can you still hear the laughter?" he asked._

_I nodded. _

"_Good. That means you're fighting this."_

"_What is it that I'm fighting?" I questioned._

"_The barrier that's keeping you from me," he answered, letting go of me. After a moment of just staring into my eyes he finally said, "Let's keep going."_

_He moved a low tree branch that was in the way, in order to allow me to walk forward._

_I followed the laughter, feeling Roxas's presence behind me. _

"_Where are we?" I asked a few minutes later. The place felt so familiar, but I couldn't figure out why. _

_He didn't answer. I turned around, shocked when I saw he had disappeared._

"_Roxas?" I could feel myself starting to panic. _

"_Roxas!" I yelled. _

_Nothing. Silence. _

_Even the laughter had died. _

xXx

Olette opened her eyes. Sunlight peeked through the blinds. She glanced over at her alarm clock, surprised that it read ten o'clock. _Thank goodness it's Saturday,_ she thought relieved. The last few days of the school week had seemed endless. Spanish class had been especially agonizing. It was almost as if Riku had become a different person. When he wasn't sneering at her, he ignored her completely. Olette knew that whatever friendship they had was over, but it still surprised her that someone could be so cold. She was over him completely. His true colors had shown, allowing her to move on to greener pastures.

The whole Riku fiasco wasn't the only weird thing that had occurred in the past two days. Olette had noticed that both Hayner and Pence were behaving oddly. They seemed all cheerfully on the surface, but she couldn't shake the feeling that they were hiding something from her. It didn't help that they would exchange worried glances when they thought she wasn't looking. _Probably just paranoid, _she had reassured herself numerous times.

After staring at the ceiling for five minutes, she decided it was time to get up. Grabbing her favorite pair of jeans off the floor as well as a plain yellow long sleeved shirt from her closet, she headed into the conjoined bathroom. She showered quickly. For some reason the water turned ice cold after ten minutes. Jumping out of the shower as fast as possible, she turned off the water and grabbed her towel to dry off.

"Damn!" she muttered to herself, hurrying to put her nice warm clothes on.

She pulled her soaking wet hair back into a ponytail, too lazy to properly blow-dry it.

"Oh good. You're awake," her mother said, as Olette walked into her room.

"What's in the boxes?" Olette asked, pointing to the two boxes her mother had placed on the bed.

"I found them in the garage. They have your name on them. I figured you must have forgotten to unpack them after moving."

"Thanks. I'll go through them right now."

Her mother gave her a hug before leaving the room. Olette opened up the first box, laughing out loud when she saw the contents. This wasn't just some box she had forgotten to unpack. She had boxed this stuff up years ago, placed it in a storage room, and forgotten all about it.

The box was full of her old stuffed animals. They were tattered and obviously had been played with numerous times. She knew she should have thrown them away ages ago, but some nostalgic part of her refused to do so. After closing the box up, she walked over to her walk-in-closet and placed it on one of the shelves in the back.

Moving on the next box, she noticed the items inside it had also been forgotten, yet they were from a more recent time. She opened the multicolored scrap book lying on top. Judging by the photos she guessed she had been in her early teens. She cringed at the many pictures of her with frizzy hair. There were several photos with her and Leon as well as her friends from where she used to live. _I should call them soon,_she mused, smiling at the memories.

For some reason she felt drawn to the back of the book. She flipped to the last ten pages. They were empty except for the corners used to hold the pictures. There also appeared to be several splotches of whiteout. Almost as if the pages had once held memories, but they had all been erased.

"'Something is missing from the picture,'" she recited out loud to herself, remembering her dream. Shaking her head she put the book on her bedside table and rummaged through the rest of the box. It was mostly filled with tokens from various times, such as a CD her first boyfriend had made her back in freshman year. Even though the relationship hadn't lasted long, she had kept it because the she and the boy had remained friends.

She took everything out of the box and placed it on her bed. The last item she picked up was a beautiful jewelry box. It was made out of a near transparent blue glass. Why it had been placed under everything and not properly packed, she had no idea. Opening it she saw everything in it still had the price tag on it.

Olette was never one for wearing jewelry, but her distant relatives figured that because she was a girl, she must love pink, shiny necklaces and bracelets. She was about to close the lid, when she saw something turquoise sparkle at the bottom of the box. Digging through the cheap plastic jewelry, she pulled the turquoise thing out. It was a teardrop charm attached to a black, plastic cord with a broken clasp.

"Huh?" Olette stared at the stunning pendant. She had no recollection of ever seeing it before, but felt like she had found a missing part of her.

Slipping the turquoise off the cord, she walked over to her dresser. She searched through a ceramic cup she had made in second grade, which held small trinkets, until she found a plain silver chain. After untangling the chain, she added the charm.

_Where did this come from? _

"Olette, please come down stairs," yelled her mother.

"Coming!" she replied, putting on the necklace.

Olette bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Hi, Olette," Leon greeted from the kitchen table. He took a huge bite of the greasy bacon sandwich he was eating.

"You're here?" Olette asked after the surprise had worn off.

"Nope. I'm just an illusion." Leon smiled.

"Ha. Ha. Should have known you were here. There's no hot water left," she responded with mock anger.

"Guilty," he replied, with food in his mouth.

"Thanks for that."

"No problem," he laughed. "What's that?" he asked pointing at her neck.

"I don't know. I found it. Do you remember who gave it to me?"

Leon thought for a minute before shaking his head.

"Did you finish unpacking those boxes?" her mother asked, walking into the room.

"Yup."

"Good. Can you help me put the towels away?"

"Sure," Olette answered.

"You're such a great kid." Her mother kissed her on the forehead. She stepped back, noticing the turquoise necklace. "That's pretty. Where did you get it?"

"I found it in one of the boxes, but can't remember where I got it from," Olette replied.

Her mother furrowed her eyebrows before saying, "I think your father and I gave it to you for your birthday a while back."

"Oh." Olette knew that wasn't correct. She didn't know how, but the answer felt wrong. It didn't even make sense. Her parents knew she didn't like jewelry, so they wouldn't have bought her a necklace.

"Everything okay?" her mother asked. Olette realized she must have been frowning.

"Yeah." She picked up a few of the towels on the table and began folding them. The phone rang from the living room and her mother left to answer it.

Olette hummed as she folded towels. She glanced up, seeing that Leon was watching her with a concerned expression.

"What?" she asked.

"You're not telling us something," he replied. When she ignored him he continued, "What's wrong? Mom's worried. She says you've been yelling in your sleep."

Olette turned away from him and hung the towel she was holding on the refrigerator door handle.

"Olette, I'm your big brother. You can tell me anything. I'm here to protect you."

Olette walked back over to where he was sitting and hugged him.

"Now I definitely know something is wrong," he laughed.

"I'm fine. Just some really stupid nightmares. Nothing serious," she said.

Leon gave her a disbelieving look, but didn't press the issue any farther.

Olette continued folding towels. Suddenly the image of the clearing from her dreams flickered in her mind.

"_Come on, Olette," said the boy sitting next to me. His hair was sticking up all over the place and his cheeks were flushed._

"_No, Roxas. It's my birthday and I don't want to go home yet. Please, let's stay later," I replied._

"_It's starting to get dark," he argued._

"_Please."_

"_Ugh," he groaned. "You know I can't say no to you. You'll just be more annoying."_

"_Yup." _

_I smelled the sweet summer air. The sun was beginning to set, but I didn't care. I wanted to stay with Roxas as long as possible. _

"_Olette?"_

"_Yes?"_

_He looked off into the distance as he began to talk. "Have you ever felt like you're losing control?"_

_The seriousness of his voice made me hesitant to answer. Finally I said, "I'm not sure what you mean. Is everything okay?"_

_He stopped looking at the empty air and turned his head back to face me. The smile that I had grown accustomed to returned to his face. Only this time it didn't reach his brilliant blue eyes._

"_Never mind. Just being an angsty teen. Now you're part of the club, too. Happy thirteenth birthday, Olette," he said, hugging me._

Olette shook her head, clearing the images. She glanced around at Leon, who seemed oblivious to of anything just happening. It seemed as if what felt like minutes to her had been perhaps only seconds. Almost like a dream that felt like it's been going on forever, but in actuality only occurring for ten seconds.

_What was that? That never happened,_ she thought, confused. She tried to think back to her thirteenth birthday. The details were all fuzzy, but she was sure Roxas had never been there. Or the woods. She remembered there being woods near her house, but all of her friends had been too scared to go in them. It had always seemed silly to Olette that the trees would be terrifying, but she had followed her friends anyway and not played there.

"That was Helen," her mom said, entering the kitchen. Olette snapped out of her daze and looked at her mom.

"Her son's not feeling well, so she needs to stay home, meaning I have to go into work today. Can you get a ride from one of your friends to where you need to go?" her mom asked.

"I can take her," Leon answered.

"Thanks. I need to get going. Love you both."

"Love you," Leon and Olette said in unison.

Olette finished folding the last towel as Leon took the last bite of his sandwich.

"What time do you need to be there?" he asked.

"Around noon."

"And what are you doing?"

"Working on a project," she replied.

"Who's going to be there?" he said in a mock parental like voice.

"Just some guys. The kids with the keg are coming later," she joked.

Leon laughed. "I have taught you well. Any of the boys cute?"

Olette could feel her cheeks warming up, but shook her head.

Leon smirked. "We're leaving in an hour," he stated, leaving the kitchen.

xXx

Olette sat on the sofa at the HEART mansion, tapping her pencil against her chin. She and Demyx had yet to come up with a subject for their project. This was the third time she had come over and so far the only thing they had done was watch movies and joke around.

"I need pizza," Demyx exclaimed, jumping off the couch.

"Make sure you get cheese," Axel said, from his chair. He wasn't helping them with the project, but he was hanging out with them. Another boy with long bluish hair was sitting in a chair, reading a book and occasionally glaring at them. Roxas wasn't with them.

"I know. What do you want Olette?" Demyx asked.

"Pepperoni is fine."

"Okay. I'll be right back."

"'What do you want, Zexion?' 'Oh, thanks so much for asking. I'll have sausage'," the kid with the blue hair murmured.

"You say something Zexy?" Axel asked.

The boy narrowed his eyes at him and returned to reading.

"Don't mind Zexy. He's the Boo Radley of the group," Axel said to Olette.

Olette giggled, but stopped as Naminé walked into the room. She was clutching a sketchbook to her chest.

"Hey, Naminé," Axel greeted.

"Hi."

"This is Olette," Axel said.

"I know. Hi Olette."

"Hi."

"Vexen wants to talk to you Zexion," Naminé said to the blue haired boy.

Zexion closed his book and strode out of the room. Naminé took his chair and began drawing in her sketchbook.

"Have you seen Roxas?" Axel asked Naminé.

She looked up from her sketchbook. Her eyes flickered over to Olette before focusing on Axel. "He's helping Saix with something."

Axel looked startled, but quickly collected himself. "Are you sure it's Saix?"

"Yes," Naminé answered timidly.

Axel opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it after glancing at Olette. He smiled at her, but she noticed that his eyes looked almost fearful.

"Pizza is on its way!" Demyx cheered, walking into the room. "Hi Naminé," he said, noticing her.

"Hello."

"So, any ideas yet?" Demyx asked Olette.

"What's your favorite band?"

"Don't ask him that. He listens to so much stuff that he'll spend hours just debating which one the best is. Eventually his head will explode from thinking too hard," Axel laughed.

"Shut up," Demyx retorted.

"Nice comeback," Larxene stated, walking into the room.

"Great Larxene's here. Now it's a party," Axel said sarcastically.

"You know you love me, Axel," she purred. "Have you seen Zexion?"

"He's with Vexen," answered Naminé, quietly.

"That's too bad. I'm bored," Larxene responded. "What are you doing down here anyway, Naminé?"

"Waiting to be picked up," Naminé answered.

"By who?" Axel questioned.

"Um, Riku," Naminé stammered. Olette grimaced slightly at the name, which didn't go unnoticed by Axel.

Larxene smirked. "How adorable."

"Leave her alone," Demyx said authoritatively.

"Fine." Larxene turned to leave. She paused and looked over her shoulder. "I'll be in my room, Axel."

Axel just rolled his eyes. The doorbell rang and both Demyx and Naminé stood up.

"You planning to go on a date with Riku, Demyx?" Axel smirked.

"It could be the pizza guy, idiot."

Both Demyx and Naminé walked out of the room. Olette heard the door open, and then Riku's voice. She flinched slightly, remembering how he had acted in the library. Seconds later Demyx walked in looking disappointed.

"He didn't want you to come with them? You're not pretty enough for him? " Axel teased.

"Shut up. I'm hungry," Demyx replied, plopping down in a chair.

"You guys are just too hilarious," Olette laughed.

"Thanks," Demyx replied merrily.

Olette looked over at Axel, who was staring past her, into the hallway. His eyes were wide as he slowly shook his head. Olette whipped around to see what he was looking at, but there was nothing there. She turned back, confused. Axel just stared at her with an innocent expression.

"I'm gonna get a soda. I'll be right back," he said, dashing out of the room.

"Um, is it me, or was that weird?" Olette asked Demyx.

"Just Axel being Axel," he answered smoothly. Olette had a slight suspicion that he was hiding something, but didn't say anything else.

"Do you like Thousand Foot Krutch?" Demyx asked.

"Yeah! I love their music," she replied.

"Do you want to do our project on them?"

"Sure. That'd be awesome."

"I'll be right back. I'm gonna get my laptop." He ran out of the room.

Olette got up and walked over to the photos on the wall. There was one of Demyx, Axel, and Roxas sticking their tongues out at the camera. It must have been taken a couple years ago. They looked so happy. As Olette studied the photo she noticed that Roxas's eyes didn't match his smile. They were too angry.

She moved on to another picture in which four young boys she didn't recognize were smiling, with the exception of the one with long silvery hair. He seemed to be snarling. The boy with pink hair had a daisy tucked behind his ear. The oldest-looking boy was wearing a fatigue jacket that he seemed to be drowning in. Olette had to squint in order to see what the blond was holding up in his hand. It appeared to be a playing card with the number ten on it.

"Second generation," explained Axel's voice from behind her.

Olette turned around. Axel smiled, but he looked tired.

"You okay?" she asked concerned.

"Yeah. I'm fine," he answered, but Olette didn't believe him.

Just then Demyx walked in, holding his laptop. He, too, looked worn out.

The doorbell rang. Demyx put his laptop on the coffee table and left the room. He came back with the pizzas.

"I'll get plates. Want anything to drink Olette?" Axel asked.

"Coke please."

Demyx placed the pizza boxes on a different coffee table from his laptop. He began opening them. Axel returned with the plates. He gave Olette her soda and placed two slices of pepperoni on a plate for her.

"Thanks," she said.

"No prob," Axel replied, grabbing a slice of cheese for himself.

The three of them started eating. Axel and Demyx began joking around again, but to Olette it felt forced.

xXx

An hour later, Olette and Demyx had finished most of their research and were taking a break. Axel had gone upstairs after finishing his pizza and had yet to reappear.

"So, Olette, tell me more about yourself," Demyx said.

"What do you want to know?"

"What do you do for fun?" he asked.

"I like to read," she answered.

"What genres?"

"Science fiction and mysteries," she replied.

"That's cool."

"What do you like to do? Besides play guitar of course," she questioned

"I love swimming and other water sports."

"That's awesome."

Suddenly, a tremendous crash came from upstairs. _That sounded like thunder,_ Olette thought.

"Larxene, you idiot," Demyx growled under his breath.

"What the hell was that?!" yelled someone from upstairs.

"Oh good. That's just peachy," Demyx said sarcastically.

"What's going on?" Olette asked.

"No idea. Larxene gets pissed at a lot of things."

"How do you know Larxene caused that noise?"

Demyx glanced at Olette, as if he just realized she was the one he was talking to. "Um, I'm just guessing. She's the most likely to break something when she's angry."

"Should I leave?" Olette asked.

"Nah. Marluxia will calm her down."

"All I was doing was throwing the tennis ball at the wall," argued a voice from someone coming down the stairs.

Olette felt a shiver go up and down her spine. _Roxas!_

"I know, but you know it pisses her off," replied Axel as he and Roxas entered the living room. They both stopped when they saw Olette.

Olette gasped. Roxas's face looked as if someone had tried to carve it off. There was dry blood over his right eye as well on his lip, where a cut was.

"Um," Roxas stammered.

"Are you okay?" Olette gushed, jumping off her chair.

"Yeah I'm fine." Roxas replied.

"What happened?"

"Got into a fight. You should see the other guy," he joked.

Olette knew he was lying. _Hasn't he been in the mansion the whole time I've been here?_ She was going to ask for the real reason, but something in Roxas's eyes made her stop. _He must have a good reason for not telling me_, she thought.

Roxas glanced down and noticed the necklace she was wearing. His eyes widened in shock, but snapped back to meet her own. He seemed confused, but smiled at her.

"Where'd you get that?" he asked.

"I don't remember. Just found it earlier today," she answered.

"Oh," he responded, looking disappointed.

"Why do you care, Roxas? Do you want to buy one?" Demyx laughed.

"Har. Har." Roxas sat down in one of the armchairs.

"Do you guys want to start a fire?" Axel asked, excited.

"Um?" Olette raised her eyebrows at him.

"He means in the fire pit in the backyard," Roxas explained. "Axel likes fire."

"Cause he's so flaming," Demyx teased.

Axel slapped the back of Demyx's head.

"Ow! Why does everyone do that?" Demyx complained.

"Cause you're an idiot," Roxas and Axel both said.

Demyx mumbled something unintelligible. Olette laughed, causing Roxas to grin at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. I just like your laugh," he answered, blushing.

"_I love making you laugh, Olette. Seeing you smile melts my fear away." _Roxas's voice echoed inside her head. Roxas hadn't opened his mouth, but she had heard his voice so clearly. It was almost like earlier in the morning when she had seen the scene from the woods. She was starting to feel like she was going insane. It wasn't normal to see or hear things that never happened. _Or what if they did and I just can't remember? _she asked herself, worrying about what was happening to her.

xXx

The four of them sat around the roaring fire. It really was incredible that Axel had built such a huge fire in so little time. Olette had gone to use the restroom and by the time she had gotten back, the fire was blazing.

"I'm a pyro," Axel had said, seeing her bewildered expression.

They were now roasting marshmallows, with the exception of Axel. Demyx was having trouble toasting his with out it setting on fire completely.

Olette shivered. Even though the fire was warm, the bitter cold air was winning the battle.

"You can use this," Roxas said, slipping off his coat and putting it around Olette's shoulders.

"Thanks."

The two of them were sitting together on a bench. Axel and Demyx had both sat in the chairs. It was almost as if they had planned it so Olette would be with Roxas. _Probably did_, Olette mused. _But I'm not complaining._

Roxas also didn't seem to mind the seating arrangements. The smile on his face practically reached his ears.

"Having fun?" he whispered to her.

"Yup."

Demyx began making kissing noises, but Roxas stopped him with a glare.

Olette smelled Roxas's jacket when he wasn't looking. The scent was familiar and seemed to stir something from within her brain, but she couldn't get a grasp on it.

She glanced up, noticing that while Roxas hadn't seen her smell the jacket, Axel had. He smiled at her and mouthed '_I won't tell'._

"Hey, Demyx I want some hot chocolate. Can you help me make some for everyone?" Axel asked.

"Sure." The two of them went inside, leaving Roxas and Olette alone.

"That was subtle," he laughed.

"Those guys have no shame," Olette laughed.

Roxas chuckled. He stopped and reached out to move a piece of Olette's hair out of her eyes. She felt her cheeks warm. The two of them stared into each other's eyes, his a brilliant blue, hers a deep green. Roxas moved closer and Olette felt herself inch towards him. She closed her eyes, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

"Roxas!" barked a harsh voice from behind them. The two of them sprang apart.

A man with long pink hair strode up to them. Roxas narrowed his eyes, clearly irritated at the intrusion. The man smirked at him, almost as if he timed this on purpose.

"I'm sorry," the man said, not sounding sorry at all, "but it's time for your friend to go."

"Okay Marluxia," Roxas snapped. He waited for the man to leave, but Marluxia just stood there. Olette got up slowly. Roxas sighed angrily, but stood up as well.

The three of them walked into the kitchen where Demyx and Axel were laughing. The two stopped when they saw Marluxia. Axel glanced at Roxas, sympathy dawning on his face as he saw Roxas's expression.

"Please take this young lady home Axel," Marluxia ordered, sounding pleased.

Axel reached into his pocket and tossed Roxas his keys. "You can take her Roxas."

"No. Xemnas wishes to speak to Roxas. You do it." Marluxia commanded. He left the room, smiling to himself.

"I have no clue what happened to the man that made him lose his soul," Demyx stated.

"I think he was born without one," Roxas replied flatly, giving Axel back his keys. "I guess I have to go talk to Xemnas." He turned to Olette and smiled. "How 'bout a rain check?"

"That'd be great," she answered.

He grinned one last time before saying goodbye and heading to the stairs.

"Let's go." Axel led Olette out of the mansion.

They got into his car. It wasn't until halfway to Olette's house that she remembered she was still wearing Roxas's coat.

"You can give it to him on Monday," Axel said, after Olette took it off and asked him to return it.

"Thanks, Axel."

"For what?"

"You know what," she replied.

He kept his eyes on the road, but Olette knew they were gleaming.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hoped you guys liked it. My longest chapter!!!!!

I hope the whole Roxas and Olette thing isn't going to slow. I wanted them to kiss, but the timing isn't right yet.

Please review. Means a lot to me.

Thanks for reading!!!!


	10. Broken:R

* * *

Chapter 10!!!!

Thanks to Midnight Hikari and japaneserockergirl for reviewing. I love getting reviews! And thanks to my editor.

Just to let you know Olette won't be in this chapter. Sorry, but I wanted to focus on Roxas's conflict with the Organization.

Hope you guys like it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_So close!_

_Everything I want is always taken away from me. Everything I fear is forced on me. _

_Why can't I just be happy?!_

_Why am I destined for a life I detest?_

_Why?!_

_More importantly, will it ever end?_

xXx

Roxas sat on the edge of the roof, dangling his feet over the edge. He was invisible to all. The only way anyone could find him would be if they crawled out of his bedroom window and joined him. Axel was the only one who knew where the hiding place was.

He lifted his head, feeling the wind on his face. He could finally think. Could finally take a break.

His latest training session had been with Saix, who made Marluxia seem like Winnie the Pooh. Saix found pleasure in causing people physical pain. He relied on his instincts rather than reasoning, like an animal. The expression on Saix's face as he watched Roxas crumple to the ground was nothing other than pure enjoyment.

The training session had left Roxas exhausted and broken. It was the third one with Saix in the same weekend. Each time they became more unbearable. The first time Saix had gone easy, or so he said. Roxas knew he had looked like hell afterwards. The horrified expression on Olette's face had proven it.

It was a good thing Axel had caught him before he had walked into the living room on Saturday. Normally he would have noticed if Olette was somewhere close, but his eyes had been so caked with blood and his head pounding so hard, he hadn't been focusing very well. Axel had helped him wash and bandage most of the injuries, so that Roxas was at least semi presentable.

As soon as Roxas knew Olette was there, he wanted to do nothing more than talk to her. Which would have been difficult if he had looked like he had just been run over.

Of course, Axel demanded to know why he had been training with Saix, who had never trained them before. Axel also wanted to know what was going on with Roxas, but Roxas refused to tell him.

He was afraid of how Axel and the others would treat him if they found out he was the 'Chosen One'.

This burden was Roxas's. He didn't want his friends feeling sorry for him.

Roxas closed his eyes and let his mind wander. He smiled to himself, forming a mental picture in his mind of what his life should be. For one brief moment his parents were still alive. He could see their kind faces beaming at him. For one brief moment he was with Olette, the only person who looked past his differences. For one moment he wasn't the 'Chosen One' or even 'The Key of Destiny'. He was just Roxas.

He opened his eyes, letting reality wash over him, shattering the images.

xXx

Roxas, Demyx, and Axel sat on the floor, surrounded by disorganized stacks of paper.

"I'm fighting the urge to set this all on fire," Axel groaned.

"Really? I'm trying to decide the best way to gorge my eyes out. I so do not need to know this crap," Roxas replied.

The three of them were working on their latest Organization 'mission'. They were sorting through piles of records. Most consisted of financial data and other dull information. The younger member of the Organization weren't allowed to know about the more crucial proceedings the elders discussed behind closed doors.

Unfortunately for the boys, they had just found the previous generation's records from when they were children. Apparently Xemnas kept very precise notes on every member. The records listed data about the member's ability and when they joined the Organization. They also contained everything from favorite color to the number of times the member had been sick up until the age of twenty-one.

Twenty-one was the age when they were no longer considered apprentices, but fully skilled members of the Organization. All records of the second generation after their coming of age, as well as the third generation's, were located in Xemnas's study.

"Get a load of this!" Demyx exclaimed, "Saix wet the bed until the age of eight."

"That's it," Roxas said, tossing the folder labeled 'Marluxia' over his shoulder, "I'm done. This stuff is just too creepy."

Axel looked up from Luxord's folder. "I thought _we_ were weird. These guys make me feel normal."

Demyx shuddered jokily, as if the thought of being normal was scary. Axel and Roxas laughed in response.

"Why doesn't Zexion or Larxene have to organize these?" Demyx asked.

"Zexion is the favorite and Larxene is training," Roxas explained.

"Why doesn't Naminé have to do this crap or even train like the rest of us?" Demyx questioned.

"'Cause she's not an actual member. Besides, I personally think the elders would be afraid to train her ability. She might wipe their memories or give them fake ones," Axel answered.

"Yeah, like Naminé would do something like that. She's too nice," Demyx responded.

"She'd do it if she was ordered to," Roxas said.

"Only cause she's frightened of us all. We are kind of intimidating," Demyx replied, puffing his chest out.

"Demyx, you attack people with bubbles. You're not as scary as you think," Axel laughed.

"Bubbles of doom!" argued Demyx.

"If you say so," Roxas smirked.

"I need a break. Do you guys want to go to the movies or something?" Axel asked.

"Can't. I have another training session with Saix in twenty minutes," Roxas responded.

"Didn't you just have one this morning?"

"Yeah, but I guess he thinks I need more practice."

"What's going on, man?" Axel asked, concerned. "You're the only one who's had to train this much."

"I don't know. I don't really mind. Training sessions aren't very hard," Roxas replied.

"Don't give me that shit. I spent an entire hour yesterday helping you wash the blood off your face and bandage your wounds. You accumulate more injuries every time you train with an elder. The rest of us never get hurt while training. Why are they treating you like this? You know the answer but you won't tell us. Demyx and I are only trying to help." Axel was no longer smiling. His face portrayed nothing but concern mixed with seriousness.

Roxas looked away from Axel's piercing cat-like eyes. He picked up a piece of paper from the floor, but Demyx tore it out of his hands.

"What do you want from me?" Roxas yelled, causing the other two to flinch.

"The truth. If you don't tell us we can't help," Demyx said in a soothing voice.

"I don't need help," Roxas snarled, shocking himself. He knew his best friends were in the right, but he couldn't stop himself from feeling angry. _What the hell is happening to me?!_

The darkness he tried so hard to keep locked up stirred within him, begging to be released.

"Are you okay Roxas?" Axel asked, trying to hide the fright in his voice. He'd never seen Roxas get so upset in such a small amount of time.

"Guys, I'm sorry," Roxas apologized, trying to calm himself down.

The darkness refused to be stifled. It swelled until Roxas was sure it would explode. He gasped, trying to keep it contained.

"Roxas!" Demyx and Axel both shouted, sounding distant.

Roxas felt two sets of strong hands grab his shoulders before everything went black.

xXx

_I stood there shaking. _

"_Calm down, little dude," soothed the man with his hand on my shoulder. I think he had told me his name was Xigbar._

"_They won't hurt you. They're just like you," whispered Naminé. She was standing next to me, holding my arm. _

_I looked at the other four people in the room. The boy with the bluish hair that covered his eyes was flipping through an enormous book. The blonde girl was texting on her cell phone, while the blonde boy played his guitar. Only the boy with the crazy red hair that resembled flames was looking at me. His green eyes shone with curiosity._

_Xigbar let go of my shoulder. "Come, Naminé," he ordered gently, "You have a lot of work to do. We don't have much time, even with Luxord's help."_

_He left the room followed by Naminé. She gave me an encouraging smile before leaving. I couldn't help but notice that her eyes were full of sadness. _

_I stood there for a second, debating what to do. I thought about running and leaving this foreign place, but I knew they would just drag me back. Besides, I had no where to run to. My family was… dead. _

_I closed my eyes and tried to picture Olette. I could see her chocolate hair and her green eyes, the same shade as summer grass. _

_I opened my eyes and choked back a sob. I would never see my best friend again._

_At least she was safe. Naminé had promised me that Olette wouldn't be hurt._

_I noticed the three boys were staring at me. The boy with the red hair jumped up from the floor and ran towards me._

"_The name's Axel. Got it memorized?" _

_I stared at him, unsure if he was sane. He seemed only to be excessively hyper._

_He stared back, apparently waiting for me to answer._

"_I'm Roxas," I told him._

"_Hi. I'm Demyx." The boy with the guitar waved._

"_Larxene," stated the girl without even looking up from her phone._

"_Zexion," deadpanned the other boy._

"_What can you do?" asked Axel excitingly._

"_Huh?"_

"_He means your power," explained Demyx. "I can control water," he said sending a jet of water at Larxene. _

_She glared at him before poking his arm. I saw a spark of electricity come from her finger as she made contact._

"_Ow!" Demyx yelled._

_Zexion rolled his eyes. "I can make people see things that aren't really there," he said unenthusiastically. _

"_I can make fire!" Axel exclaimed. He snapped his fingers producing a small flame. "What can you do?"_

_I opened my palm and produced a small, bluish purple orb._

_Axel let out a low whistle. "That's cool."_

_I closed my hand, extinguishing the orb. Compared to their powers, I felt lame._

"_What name did they give you?" Demyx asked._

"_They called me 'Key of Destiny'"_

"_Cool," Axel replied. He looked behind me and bowed his head. The other three did the same._

_I turned around and looked up. The man the other adults had called 'Superior' towered over me. _

"_Key of Destiny, it is time to see what you are capable of," he said. He took my arm and began to leave the room. I had no choice but to follow._

_Before we got to the doorway I looked back over my shoulder._

_Axel and Demyx waved at me._

xXx

Roxas opened his eyes. _What happened? _He gingerly hoisted himself off from the bed he was lying on.

"Be careful," advised Naminé. She was sitting at his desk looking concerned.

"What happened?"

"You collapsed," she answered quietly.

"Why?" he asked.

"Your darkness might not hurt you when you direct it, but if you let it build up inside you, it can poison you. If you don't control it, it will begin chipping away at you until it has consumed you," she explained.

"I don't understand. Why me? Why am I the only one who can't control my ability?"

"Roxas, you're the most powerful of everyone here. You're the…"

"Don't say 'Chosen One'," he interrupted.

She smiled at him. "Okay." After a brief pause she said gravely, "Roxas, I need to tell you something important."

"What?"

Naminé opened her mouth to answer, but her voice was drowned out by Axel and Demyx running into the room and yelling, "You're awake!"

"Yeah," Roxas murmured, his eyes still focused on Naminé.

'_I'll tell you later_,' she mouthed, before getting up and leaving the room.

"Are you okay man?" Axel asked.

"I'm fine," Roxas grumbled, uncomfortable by their attention.

"He's cranky," Demyx said to Axel.

"Shut up, Demyx," Roxas replied.

Axel stared at Roxas with a confused expression.

"Do you know what happened?" he asked.

"No. I just felt sick all of a sudden," Roxas lied.

Axel sighed, frustrated. "I'm not going to get any answers, am I?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you," Roxas responded.

"Roxas you've been out for almost a day. Something's very wrong."

"A day?!" Roxas exclaimed.

"You missed school," Demyx stated. "Olette asked about you."

"Did the elders say anything?"

Axel and Demyx exchanged worried glances.

"What?" Roxas asked.

"Um, when we explained what happened some of them seemed happy," Demyx replied.

"Let me guess. Marluxia?"

"And Saix and Vexen," Axel answered.

"Don't forget Zexion," Demyx reminded him. "He overheard what happened. Said it was karma for the Olette incident. Whatever that means."

Roxas didn't answer Demyx's implied question. He hadn't told his two best friends about the training session with Vexen in which he had found out he was capable of murder. It hadn't been an actual person he'd killed, just a data clone, but he now knew that he had it in him to kill someone.

"What did the Superior say?" Roxas asked.

"We don't know. Didn't speak to him. He stopped by to check on you though," Axel said.

"That's weird. He usually doesn't really deal with us. He has the other elders do it," Roxas stated, furrowing his brow.

"Yeah. We thought it was weird too. You should have seen Zexion's face. It was practically green. The guys worships Xemnas. It's kinda creepy," Demyx laughed.

"Zexion worships all the elders. He loves the Organization," Axel replied.

"It's all I've ever known," said a solemn voice from behind them. They all turned to see Zexion standing in the doorway.

"Saix wants you in Training Room Three, Roxas," Zexion instructed.

"What?" Roxas, Axel, and Demyx all shouted in disbelief.

"Don't kill the messenger," was all Zexion said before leaving.

"Saix is a lunatic. You can't fight! You just woke up!" Axel sputtered.

Even Roxas couldn't disagree. He ached all over. He was in no condition to train with the cruel wolfish man.

Still, he knew if he didn't get down to the basement soon, Saix would just be that much harsher on him. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up.

"This is stupid, Roxas. He could kill you. At your best, he was able to injure you severely," Demyx argued, his voice afraid.

"He won't kill me," Roxas assured them, trying to assure himself as well, "Xemnas would be pissed if Saix offed one of his pawns."

"Roxas," Axel reprimanded. "You can be a real moron sometimes."

"Yeah. I know," Roxas replied trying to sound brave.

He turned to leave the room. As he walked through the doorway he looked over his shoulder. The other two stood there, watching him. Only this time, Axel and Demyx didn't wave, they merely shook their heads.

xXx

Roxas looked up at the dark ceiling, mentally kicking himself. _Maybe if I played dead, he would leave me be, _he pondered. His head felt all weird and he swore he could see stars floating above him.

He blinked and the stars became Saix, looming over him.

"Get up," Saix growled, kicking Roxas.

Roxas stayed where he was.

"I said get up!" bellowed Saix. When Roxas continued to refuse to move, he took his claymore and whacked Roxas in the face.

Roxas tasted the blood in his mouth. He turned his head and spit it out. His whole body throbbed. _I'm doomed, _he thought stupidly.

"I command you to get up!"

Saix took his claymore and stabbed Roxas in the shoulder.

Roxas's eyes blurred as he yowled out in pain. He tried to summon the darkness in order to retaliate, but it was no use. He could barley muster a small orb. Even Oblivion hadn't appeared to him. He was powerless.

Saix's yellow eyes gleamed. He raised his claymore. Roxas closed his eyes, anticipating the blade making contact with his face. Olette flashed in his mind.

But no pain came. Roxas opened his eyes, confused. _Huh?_

Saix staggered back, his cloak on fire. He was trying to smother the flames.

Roxas turned his head to where the door was. There stood Axel and Demyx.

"This is none of your business! Get out of here," snarled Saix.

"Like hell it's not," Axel retorted, sending another fireball at Saix.

Demyx ran over to where Roxas lay.

"You look like shit," he said.

Roxas stared at him, unable to respond. His head would not stop pounding, making it hard to concentrate.

"Come on. I got you," Demyx pacified, grabbing Roxas's torso and gently lifting him up. Roxas staggered as he stood, but Demyx caught him.

"You okay?"

Roxas nodded slightly.

"Let's get out of here," Demyx stated.

"What about Axel?" Roxas croaked.

The two of them looked over to where Axel was fighting Saix. It was apparent that the former was losing the battle.

Axel threw a pitiful fireball at Saix, who merely stepped out of the way. Saix seemed to grow stronger as Axel grew weaker.

"Don't move," Demyx ordered Roxas. He dashed over to where the other two were fighting, sending a wall of water at Saix.

The impact propelled Saix backwards. He howled and began rising up in the air. Shocked, Axel and Demyx stood back, not knowing how to react.

Saix roared, shooting out beams of light, sending Axel and Demyx backwards. Roxas wobbled, but managed to stay on his feet, due to the distance between him and Saix.

_Never thought moon beams could do that,_ he thought looking at his fallen friends. . Shaking his head he realized how stupid he was acting. _Need to help them._

He ran at Saix, not knowing what he would do once he got there.

Saix came back down to the ground, his lips curling into a cruel smile as he noticed Roxas. He raised his claymore, ready to strike.

Without thinking Roxas swung his arm. A flash of silver slammed against Saix's weapon. The impact caused Saix to be hurled backwards, hitting the wall.

"I misjudged you," he said, before crumpling to the ground.

Roxas looked at his hand, expecting to see Oblivion. Instead, Oathkeeper gleamed brightly from his palm.

He stared at the Keyblade, slightly confused. So far all he had been able to summon was its counterpart. Oathkeeper didn't seem to emit waves of extreme power like Oblivion, but some type of energy flowed from it. Roxas tried to place what it was, but was unable to do so.

A groan from the other side of the room brought him out from his daze. He ran over to Axel and Demyx.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked, frantically.

"Roxas?" Axel asked, gazing at his face. His eyes widened in shock. Roxas looked over at Demyx, who too, seemed astonished.

"What is it?" Roxas asked, uncertain whether he wanted to know the answer

"Your face," they both answered.

"What are you guys talking abo…?" He trailed off noticing that he no longer felt the pain in his shoulder. In fact he couldn't feel any pain.

"What the-?" he asked, mostly to himself.

Looking at his arm he saw that he was no longer bleeding. He couldn't be, considering there were no injuries at all. Only slightly pink scars from previous training sessions remained.

He looked at his other arm and discovered the same thing. Reaching up to touch his face he felt only dry blood, nothing fresh. He traced over the scar that lead from his eye down to his chin. That was still there, along with a few other minor scars, but he couldn't feel any of the wounds Saix had just recently inflicted upon him. They were gone.

He glanced down at his right hand, still holding Oathkeeper. _Was that what I felt? Did it heal me?_

Quickly he thrust the Keyblade into Axel's hand, hoping it would have the same effect. Not only did it not cure what few injuries Axel had just accumulated, a second after he held it, it disappeared. Roxas gasped as the Keyblade returned to his palm.

"What is that?" Demyx asked, slowly standing up.

Axel too stared at the silver weapon as he regained his balance and stood.

"It is the Keyblade," answered a slightly shaking voice from behind Roxas.

He turned, seeing that Saix had recovered.

"Very little is known about Keyblades such as Oathkeeper and Oblivion," Saix continued, walking towards them with a limp. It was apparent that he was hurt and just trying to act unaffected.

"One thing is for certain though," Saix stated, stepping up to Roxas. His mouth curled into a smile. For once there was a tiny bit of pride hidden beneath the malice. "Only the 'Chosen One' can wield those two unique blades and be able to utilize their full power."

Roxas turned around. Demyx stood there with his mouth slightly opened, dumfounded.

"Didn't see that one coming," Axel responded, his eyebrows raised.

xXx

_I took the stairs two at a time, hoping whatever Xemnas wanted to talk about had nothing to do with what I thought it did._

_Stupid Marluxia. Why does he have to ruin everything? She was right there! _

_He must have been watching us, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to go and tattle to the Superior and mess up my chance._

_I heard the front door close as I made my way to Xemnas's office. Olette had left and it'd probably be a while before I got to talk to her again._

_I knocked on the door._

"_Come in, Key of Destiny," Xemnas commanded from inside._

_Wishing I was somewhere else, I stepped inside the room. Xemnas sat at his desk, shifting through a stack of paper. _

"_Sit," he ordered without looking up, gesturing to the chair in front of the desk._

_I remained standing._

_Xemnas looked up at me. "Sit," he repeated, a little more forcefully this time._

"_I'm fine with standing," I replied, not willing to succumb. I was getting tired of the Organization controlling my life. _

_He narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Picking up something from his desk, he held it up for me to see. _

_I bristled slightly, staring at the picture of me and Olette. _

_It had been taken on her thirteenth birthday, right after I had given her the turquoise necklace she had been wearing earlier today. It sparkled from her neck, matching her enormous grin. My left arm was around her shoulder, while my other hand was mirroring the peace sign her left hand was making at the camera. I could see the two rings I still wore on my fingers. The ones she had given me a week earlier for my birthday as a joke. I had returned the favor by buying her the necklace, knowing she hated jewelry. Except she had loved it, claiming she would wear it forever. _

_It pained me to see how happy we both were in the photo. I was so innocent, so unaware that my life would be ripped out from under me in just a few weeks. _

"_Where did you get that?" I growled._

"_You of all people should know that when we recruit someone, we don't do it halfway. We leave no traces of you anywhere. We eliminate anyone who would miss you too much," Xemnas replied, cruelly. He glanced at the picture. "Of course there was an exception. Your friend. The only person to escape the hands of the Organization. You cried and beg until Naminé took pity on you. Weren't you lucky Naminé had developed her some what useless ability enough to pull off what she did? Sure it was easy for her to erase you and the others from the minds of people who either didn't notice you much or just simply thought you were freaks. Never before had she accomplished rewriting the memories of those who actually cared for you. It's too bad you were the last one to join the Organization. If we had found you sooner, the others' parents and friends might still be alive."_

"_You bastard!" I shouted. _

_I could feel the darkness wanting to be released, but I pushed it back. It was very tempting to lose control and let the darkness explode from me. All I wanted to do was liberate it, just like the time with Marluxia. I wanted to see the look on Xemnas's when he saw what his soldier was capable of, but I knew that if I did, it would only prove him right about me. _

_Thinking of Olette, I tried to calm myself down. The darkness obeyed, but just barely. It stewed there, waiting for me to slip up and lose what little control I had. _

_Xemnas just sat there watching as if I was entertaining him. After a few minutes, when it became apparent I wasn't going to let the darkness dominate me, he frowned._

"_Why do you refuse the darkness, Chosen One?"_

"_I'm not the Chosen One. I won't let you manipulate me into fulfilling your prophecy!"_

"_Key of Destiny, you cannot escape your fate. Either you will choose to help us bring this world into darkness, or your darkness will overpower you and you'll be nothing left but a shell. A puppet we can use without it defying us. The choice is yours. You may go now." Xemnas stated._

_I glared at him for a brief moment, trying to seem as if his words didn't affect me. He merely stared back, his lips curled into a sinister grin._

_I turned around and walked through the door. _

"_By the way," Xemnas said as I turned the knob. I stopped and twisted around to face him. "You pledged to be loyal to the Organization and no one else. If I find out you have broken that promise, you might find that your precious Olette has vanished into nothingness."_

_I left the room, slamming the door behind me._

xXx

Roxas threw the tennis ball with all his might. It bounced off against the wall and flew over his head.

Axel caught it from the desk chair he was sitting in. He tossed it to Demyx, who returned it back to Roxas. Roxas threw the ball again, continuing the cycle.

"So you're the Chosen One?" Axel asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Yup," Roxas answered, catching the ball again.

"You mean from the stupid prophecy the elders used to tell us about" Demyx questioned, getting down from Roxas's dresser. As his feet hit the ground, his arm accidently knocked over a picture frame containing a photo of the three of them, one of the only rare real pictures in the whole mansion.

"Pick it up," Roxas said. "And yes, that prophecy. I really hope there's not more than one. Don't think I could handle being the Chosen One three times over," he laughed.

_The thought of being the Chosen One at all is terrifying. And what did Xemnas mean that my darkness will destroy me if I don't willingly go along with his plans?_ he thought, worried.

"Roxas," Axel said. Roxas sat up and turned around in order to face him.

"What?"

"What do you know about this prophecy? We were never told very much, only that it would change how others perceived people like us," Axel replied.

"I only know as much as you guys. Apparently, even though I'm a key point in this damn thing, I don't get to know what I'm supposed to do," he laughed darkly.

Axel didn't laugh back. He didn't even smile.

"No one determines your fate except you. The Organization may think they control us, but if the time comes when they push you too far, Demyx and I will have your back."

"Yeah! You can count on us," Demyx added.

"Thanks, guys. Now can we change the subject before we get even cheesier?" Roxas responded.

The other two laughed and began chatting about something else.

Roxas sat there, not quite paying attention. He was impressed with his friends' acts of bravery today as well as their offer to go up against the only 'family' they'd ever belonged to.

But as he sat there thinking, he knew that when the time came to face his destiny, he was going to have to face it alone.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I really hoped you guys liked it. Hope you guys aren't getting bored.

Please review.

I hope the whole Oathkeeper healing Roxas wasn't out there in left field. I thought'd it be a good idea because Oathkeeper boosts your magic while Oblivion gives you more strength in the game. I thought it made sense. Hope it did to you guys.

Oh and I probably wouldn't start until after I had finished this fanfic, but I was planning on writing sort of a prequel to this story with the main characters being the older generation as teens. Or perhaps have it be a few years earlier than this fanfic and have the main character be Axel. Would you guys possibly read either one of those? Like I said I'd definently wouldn't start until I'd finish this one if I started at all, but I was thinking it'd be fun to write.

Thanks again for reading.


	11. Rain Check:O

Chapter 11!! Thanks so much to my two steady reviewers. Feedback really helps. Thanks to my editor. She catches all of my stupid mistakes.

I really hope you guys like this chapter. I liked writing it, but am forever paranoid. :)

Enjoy!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_He's here. I know he is. He has to be here._

_But where? I can't find him._

_I looked all around me, anticipating him to pop out of thin air._

_But nothing moved. Nothing made a sound._

"_Come on," I urged to no one in particular. ._

_Nothing happened._

_I didn't call out for him, knowing he would appear any second. Like he always did._

_A sound from behind made me jump. I turned with a huge smile on my face. About time._

_The smile fell from my face when I saw Roxas wasn't there. _

_Naminé was. _

"_The chains are breaking," she whispered, staring at the ground._

"_What chains?"_

_Naminé looked up, her eyes locking onto mine. "The chains are breaking," she repeated._

"_I don't understand," I replied._

_She smiled sadly at me, before fading away._

"_Roxas?" I whimpered. "Where are you?"_

_He had to be here. Somewhere._

"_Don't worry," said the voice I longed to hear, from behind me._

_Roxas wrapped his arms around me, making me feel safe and warm._

"_I'm always with you," he whispered into me ear._

_He held me there, saying nothing else. _

_Suddenly a loud blare ruptured the silence._

xXx

Olette jumped awake. She turned over and slammed her hand on the off button of her alarm clock. _I've said it once, I'll say it again. That is the worst noise in the world,_ she mentally grumbled. Pushing the covers off her, she got up from her bed. She grabbed a pair of jeans and her favorite orange long quarter-length long-sleeved shirt and walked towards the bathroom. Not completely awake, she accidently rammed her head into the doorframe.

"Damn!" _How rude of that to be in my way! _she thought, still groggy.

Being careful not to repeat what had just happened, she entered the bathroom. She showered quickly and got dressed.

"Need coffee," she grumbled, as she walked into the kitchen.

Her mother, who was standing at the counter pouring a bowl of cereal, turned and said apologetically, "Sorry, Sweetie. We ran out yesterday. I'm going to the market after work today to buy some more."

"You probably shouldn't have told her that. She looks as if she's gonna murder us both," laughed Leon, from the kitchen table.

Olette gave him a glare. She pulled out a chair and sat down. "Why are you always here? Don't you have school or something?"

"Well good morning to you too, Sunshine," he replied.

"Sorry. I'm tired," she yawned.

"Yeah. I can see that. I'm here because my roommate ate the last box of mac and cheese."

"So you're here to mooch?" Olette asked.

"And to use my laundry machine," her mother said, sitting down. She looked over to Olette, confused. "Shouldn't you be wearing your uniform?"

"Nope. It's Spirit Week, meaning I'm uniform-free for five days," Olette explained.

"That's nice," her mother replied.

"Yup." Olette glanced at her watch and groaned. "I gotta go."

She got up and gave her mother a hug. Walking over to Leon she asked, "Were you the one to use the last bit of coffee?"

Leon leaned back and put his arms in front of his face, feigning fright. "No. I wouldn't have dared."

Olette rolled her eyes and hugged him. She grabbed her backpack and headed out to the bus stop.

xXx

Apparently, not having to wear uniforms gave girls the excuse to wear the shortest skirts ever made. Olette sat on the ground, watching Hayner and Pence drool as a group of girls walked by.

"You guys are gonna get flies into your mouth, if you don't close them soon," she laughed.

Pence and Hayner stopped staring and turned their attention back to her.

"I love Spirit Week," Hayner stated.

"Yup," Pence agreed.

Olette rolled her eyes. "Seriously Pence? I expect this from him, but not you."

"I take offense to that. I am a guy after all."

Hayner slung his arm over Pence's shoulder. "Pence can be a pervert when the time comes." Turning his head toward Pence he began to coo jokingly, "I'm so proud of you. You're finally acting like a guy."

Pence shrugged Hayner's arm off his shoulder and pushed him lightly. "Don't touch me," he laughed.

"Don't they make such a cute couple?" Kairi said loudly to Naminé as the two of them walked past.

She gave Olette a slightly malicious smile before climbing up the stairs.

"Guess her moment of insanity is over," Olette said to the boys.

"What do you mean?" Pence asked.

"She was acting all nice to me, but I guess since her best friend is now dating Riku, she's going to treat me like dirt."

"Kairi, nice? That doesn't compute," Hayner snorted.

Pence shot him a worried look, making Olette immediately suspicious. _What aren't they telling me?_

Of course she hadn't been completely honest with them either. She had told them that she and Riku were no longer friends, but hadn't explained why. She was afraid Hayner would try to rearrange Riku's face. Which she wouldn't really mind, but she didn't want Hayner to get into trouble. Another thing she had forgotten to mention was the whole Roxas thing. Their almost kiss and her promise for a rain check, which Roxas had yet to ask for. It wasn't his fault though. He'd been absent yesterday and Demyx had informed her that Roxas was sick.

_I hope he's okay and didn't get into trouble for Saturday. That pink-haired guy did not seem too friendly, _she worried.

The sound of several car doors slamming broke her out of her trance. She looked up, seeing Axel, Demyx and Roxas coming toward her. Her stomach did a flip as she saw Roxas. He was wearing black jeans, a perfectly tight black t-shirt, and a black-and-white checkered jacket. The whole outfit would have looked stupid on anyone else, but on him it only enhanced his drool-worthy factor.

Olette shut her mouth when she realized it was hanging open slightly. She laughed to herself, noticing how hypocritical she was acting. She was no different than Hayner and Pence.

"Um? Earth to Olette." Hayner waved his hand in front of her face.

"Sorry," she apologized, looking away from the trio.

Pence chuckled as Hayner smirked.

"Can we join you? asked Axel, standing over Olette.

"Sure," she answered. Turning to Hayner and Pence, she said, "This is Axel, Demyx, and Roxas."

The three guys sat down and shook Hayner and Pence's hands. Olette noticed that Roxas had sat as close to her as possible without actually touching her. She felt her cheeks warm up. Roxas smiled at her.

"Hi Olette," he said.

"Hi. You feeling better?"

His smile faltered for a second, but he replied, "Yeah. Thanks for asking."

Olette turned to Hayner and Pence. The two of them had their eyebrows raised.

"So, what are you guys into?" Axel asked, pushing the sleeves of his green shirt to his elbow.

Olette glanced down, and noticed the scars on his arms. She gasped quietly. Axel turned his green cat like eyes to her.

"Sorry," she said.

"No need to apologize," he smiled. "My dad. Yeah, the reason I'm at HEART," he said, answering her unasked questions.

"Sor-," she began, but Axel waved his hand in the air.

"No problem."

"Oh, great," Demyx muttered looking over his shoulder.

"What?"

"My fan club is following me again. And it looks as if they've acquired a new member," he answered.

"Fan club?" Hayner asked.

"Demyx plays guitar. For some reason freshman girls worship him. Don't know why though. He's not nearly as good looking as me," Axel replied, returning to his normal merry manner.

"You're the lead in the play, right?" Pence asked.

"Yup."

"Can I get a picture? For the school paper?" Pence took out his camera bag.

"Sure, but let's take it on the stage. So it looks like I'm practicing." Axel stood up and waited for Pence.

"Bye," they both said, before heading toward the school entrance.

Demyx grabbed his guitar case and stood up. "I'm going to go hide out in the music room. See you guys later." He waved as he walked toward the stairs.

"And then there was three," Olette laughed.

"So Roxas, what-? Hayner was cut off by his cell ringing. He pulled it out and flipped it open. "Um. That was Pence. He wants me to come to theater to help him. Why, I have no clue, but he says he needs help. Guess I have to go. Bye." He stood up and left.

"Now there are two," Roxas laughed. "I can't believe those guys."

"They certainly are keen on getting us alone together. Although I think Pence actually wanted to take a picture for the paper," Olette replied.

"I bet you Axel was the one to tell Pence to text Hayner."

"Yeah. I don't doubt that," Olette giggled.

"I think it's time for that rain check," Roxas stated, reaching out and holding her chin. He brought her gently to him.

Olette felt herself melt as their lips made contact. The kiss was gentle and sweet. It was the complete opposite of her kiss with Riku.

She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. He responded by pulling her closer, but it wasn't forceful.

_This feels familiar,_ she thought. _Almost as if we've done this before. But that's impossible._

The two of them broke apart, both smiling like complete idiots. Around them a few people yelled out cat calls, but Olette and Roxas ignored them.

"That was well worth the wait," he said.

"Yes it was," she replied.

The two of them moved closer for a second time.

xXx

Riku leaned against a tree watching Olette kiss that blond kid, Roxas, from across the lawn. He turned away and placed his arm around Naminé.

"What a whore," Kairi sneered, glancing at Olette and the boy.

"Kairi, don't," Sora reprimanded.

"Yeah. It's not nice," Naminé replied.

"How can you say that? She almost took Riku away from you," Kairi responded, her voice dripping with venom.

"No one can do that." Riku gave Naminé a kiss on her cheek. She blushed crimson.

"I can't believe how ungrateful she is. We were going to let her join our group, but instead she hangs out with the chubby kid and Hayner," Kairi stated.

"His name is Pence," Naminé whispered.

"Do I look like I care? Olette made her choice to hang out with them and the other freak she's currently fawning over," Kairi snapped.

"Don't forget the drama freak and the guy who doesn't know faux hawks stopped being cool years ago," Riku amended.

"Stop! How stupid are you? Those are Namine's friends," Sora said, harshly.

Riku's face softened. "Sorry, Baby," he apologized, leaning over to kiss her again.

Naminé stepped back. "Please stop calling them freaks."

"Sure thing."

Naminé moved back closer to him and smiled.

"I think it's time to put my plan into action," Kairi smiled, cruelly.

"Please don't do this, Kairi. She hasn't done anything to you," Sora pleaded.

"Sora, I'm getting tired of you constantly disagreeing with me. Don't you love me?"

Sora hesitated before answering, "Yes, I love you, but I miss the old Kairi. What happened to her?"

Kairi responded by kissing him. "I'm right here."

Sora frowned, but said nothing.

"Kairi, Sora's right. This is really mean," Naminé said, firmly.

Kairi sighed, angrily. "Why do I have to keep reminding you two? Naminé when you first came here and were all alone, who befriended you? And Sora, who liked you even though you hung out with Hayner? Me. Your best friend."

"I think she deserves what's coming to her. I'm your best friend, Sora," Riku responded.

Sora glanced over at Naminé, who remained silent.

Riku dropped his arm from Namine's shoulder as Kairi came over and gave her a big hug. Naminé hugged her back.

"What are friends for?" Naminé finally said after the two had broken apart. Kairi smiled and turned towards Sora.

"I won't help, but I'm not going to stop you either," he replied.

Kairi hugged him. "Works for me."

The bell rang. Riku put his arm back around Namine's shoulder. Sora did the same with Kairi. The four of them walked towards the school, Kairi and Riku smiling triumphantly.

xXx

Olette sat at her desk, smiling to herself. _Today's been a good day_, she thought dreamily. The sound of someone clearing their throat snapped her back to reality. She looked over to Larxene who was smirking at her.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you could do a lot better," Larxene said.

"Huh?"

"Roxas," Larxene answered, pointing to him. "I'm not blind. I was on the front lawn this morning. I think you could do better."

Olette knew by the tone of her voice that Larxene was just teasing, but it still bothered her.

"I think I'm good," she replied.

Larxene held up her hands. "Fine. Just some friendly advice," she added before returning to her work.

Olette followed her example and began her worksheet. _Just because he kissed me doesn't mean I need to act all bubbly. Need to focus on school work. _

She finished her work quickly and glanced over to Roxas. He was chewing on his pencil, obviously struggling with Calculus. Riku was sitting behind him with his arms crossed, smug because he had finished his work before everyone else. The differences between the two guys were almost comical. They were complete opposites.

Roxas turned his head, smiling when he saw her looking. Riku also turned his head toward her. He didn't sneer, only turned right back around as if she weren't there.

Roxas mouthed '_I need help_'.

Olette mouthed back '_Come over here'._

Roxas looked over at the teacher's desk, making sure she was occupied. He grabbed his stuff and hurried over to Olette's desk.

"Can we switch seats?" he asked Larxene.

"Sure," she replied, clearly unhappy, but she moved to the front.

"What do you need help with?" Olette asked.

"The whole thing. I swear, Calculus teachers make stuff up as they go."

"It's a conspiracy," Olette laughed.

For the next half hour, she explained the worksheet to him. Every few minutes their knees would touch under the table, causing Olette to lose her train of thought. Roxas would smile at her as she stumbled to find coherent words

Olette glanced at the clock, frowning when she saw there was only a minute left in the period.

_Why was this the one time Calculus didn't go by slowly? _she wondered.

The two of them packed up their stuff and waited for the bell to ring. When it finally did, they left the classroom and headed off to Music History together.

xXx

"_What are we doing here Roxas?" I asked, getting worried._

"_Just a little bit further," he promised, holding my hand, leading me deeper into the woods._

_I looked around as I followed him. We'd played in the woods tons of times, but never had we gone this far. _

"_Don't be afraid," he said._

"_I'm not," I replied stubbornly._

_Roxas laughed._

"_What? You don't believe me?" I demanded._

_He stopped and stared at me. I gasped to myself, as I always did when he set his piercing eyes on me._

"_I believe you," he answered seriously. _

_He turned and began walking again. I followed, my fingers laced in his._

_We walked for a while before stepping out of the trees into a clearing._

"_We're here," he said._

"_Here? What's so special about this place?"_

"_It's quiet. I come here to read or just to think. But that's not what I wanted to show you," he answered._

"_What?" I asked, getting more curious by the second._

"_Promise me you won't freak out."_

"_I swear." I raised my right hand in the air._

"_Okay. I don't know how to explain this, so I'll just show you," he said, holding his arms out and cupping his hands._

"_Roxas?"_

_He closed his eyes. _

"_Rox-?" I gasped. Floating an inch above his hand was a swirly, bluish purple orb._

"_What's that?!" I stared at the orb._

"_I'm not sure. I have no clue. I just can make these little orbs," he answered._

"_How did you find out you could do that?" I asked, astonished. I still couldn't believe what I was seeing._

"_A couple days ago my parents were mad at me for not doing my homework so they sent me to my room. As I sat there on my bed, throwing a tennis ball up against the wall, I just felt really angry all of a sudden. And I'm not really sure how it happened, but instead of throwing the tennis ball I threw one of these," he explained. "It left a dent in my wall. I had to hang one of my band posters over it so my parents wouldn't get even more pissed," he laughed._

"_I still don't understand," I stammered, backing up._

_Roxas's grin disappeared. Pain tainted his brilliant blue eyes. "You promised," he whimpered. "Please don't be afraid of me. You're my only friend, Olette. My best friend. I don't know what I'd do without you."_

_He looked so hurt, so much younger than he really was._

_I realized how stupidly I'd reacted. This was Roxas. My Roxas. Whatever this was that he could do, it didn't change who he was._

_I stepped forward and smiled. "I think it's cool. You're just like the superheroes in those comics my brother reads."_

_Roxas began to grin, relieved that I wasn't going to turn and run away. _

"_You're not afraid? I'm some kind of freak and you think it's cool?" he asked, still in slight disbelief. _

"_Yup."_

_He ran to me and wrapped his arms around me. "Thank you, Olette," he whispered into my ear._

_I buried my head in his chest and breathed deeply. His familiar smell wafted into my nose, fogging up my brain. I felt safe. At home._

xXx

Olette jerked upward as the sound of screeching tires brought her out of her daydream. She looked at the window as the bus began to move again. Trees and houses blurred by as the bus traveled on. This morning she had woken up and felt as if she wanted to chew someone's head off. But now, all she felt was content. She reached up and touched her lips, Roxas's presence still lingering.

Again, she couldn't believe how silly she was acting.

She frowned, suddenly remembering her strange dream. _I've been watching way too many movies._

How else could she explain Roxas being able to create that orb? She couldn't understand why she kept seeing things that had never happened. Especially this time, when what she saw was impossible.

_Roxas with superpowers? How ridiculous. _She laughed to herself as she shook her head.

The bus slowed down and stopped. Olette grabbed her backpack and got off. She was walking towards her house when she stopped, something bothering her. _No. Just being stupid, _she thought, beginning to move again.

But something in the back of her mind continued to nag her. Trying to ignore whatever it was, she ran up to her door and took her keys out of her pocket. She opened the door and stepped inside.

"Hello?" she called out.

When no reply came, she ran up the stairs and into her bedroom. Feeling drained from today's events, she kicked her shoes off and climbed into bed. _Just a quick nap, _she told herself.

Not a minute after she closed her eyes, she gasped, jolting upwards.

The thing that had been troubling her became clear.

Her daydream wasn't the first time she had seen the weird bluish purple substance. It had been weeks ago, but she still remembered it clearly.

The nightmare in which Roxas had been swallowed up by the darkness. The same darkness he had produced only moments ago in her vision of the woods.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hoped you guys liked it.

Sorry to all Riku fans, but you might be a wee bit mad at me for what Kairi and him are planning. I've had the idea since the first couple of chapters, and decided it was time to put it in. I love Riku, but sadly his part is the jerk.

The reason I'm worried about this chapter is that my editor said Olette went from having a crush to being all fan girly in one chapter. Fear not! Olette will not turn into a love sick puppy! I just thought it to be realistic for her to act like one for a little bit. A pretty guy can do that to some. :) She'll come back down to earth next chapter I promise. Hopefully you guys didn't find it annoying and I'm just selfconscious bout my writing. I think I should stop ranting now.

Please review. Even if you have before. It only takes one minute of your life and makes me a wee bit happier.

One last thing. Happy Xigbar month! Unfortunatly it will be over soon and it will be Xaldin month. Poor Roxas, he doesn't get a month. :(

Review!!!


	12. High School is Cruel:O

Huzzah! Chapter 12.

Wow, guys thanks so much for the awesome reviews. Thanks to japaneserockergirl, RawkstarVienna, Midnight Hikari, and alice the NINJA (even though that's not your penname) for reviewing. It was really cool getting such good feedback. Also thanks to the people that favorited. I love receiving emails telling me people like my story. And as always thanks to the best editor.

Hope you guys like this chapter. It explains some of the sub plots.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Silence. Stillness._

_For once, I didn't mind. For once I welcomed the absence of sound._

_Roxas sat there, reading his book, my head in his lap. I watched as his eyes flew across the page._

_He stopped reading, placed his bookmark in the book, and put it on the ground._

_I closed my eyes, feeling the sun on my face._

"_You want to go home?" he asked._

"_Not yet," I answered without opening my eyes._

_He laughed. _

"_What's so funny?" _

"_Nothing," he replied._

_I lifted my head off his lap and sat up._

_He stared at me, smirking._

"_What?"_

"_Nothing," he repeated._

_I pushed his shoulder lightly, barely moving him._

_He laughed again._

_I frowned, starting to get frustrated._

"_Why won't you tell me?" I demanded._

"_Calm down, Olette. Maybe I just like spending time with you," he answered._

_I laid my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me, kissing my hair._

"_I like spending time with you, too," I said._

_I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, but ignored it, figuring it was some animal. _

_A few seconds later I saw something black dart through the trees. _

_I pulled apart from Roxas. _

"_What's wrong?" he asked, concern in his eyes._

"_Something just moved out there."_

"_I'm sure it's nothing," he replied, but he scanned the trees to make sure._

_I frowned. Something was there. I knew there was._

"_I'm going to see what it is," I stated, standing up._

"_No, Olette," he responded, grabbing my arm._

"_Why not?"_

"_I'm not going to let you wander the woods by yourself," he answered, as if it were obvious. _

"_Then come with me."_

_He let go of my arm. Standing, he sighed, frustrated. He moved forward out of the clearing._

_The sound of branches behind me caused me to whip around. I peered into the spaces between the trees._

_Nothing was there._

"_Olette?" Roxas asked, coming up from behind me._

_I turned back around to face him. "Sorry. Thought I heard something."_

_He looked over my shoulder. "Maybe we should just go home."_

"_Um okay."_

_His eyes locked onto mine and he grinned. Taking my hand he began to lead me closer to home._

_A few steps from getting out of the woods I remembered something. Gasping, I let go of his hand._

"_What's wrong?" he asked, alarmed._

"_I just remembered that you forgot your book."_

_He rolled his eyes and chuckled. "No prob. I'll just get it tomorrow."_

"_But it's your favorite! Don't you want to go back?"_

"_Olette it's getting late," he replied, smiling._

"_But if it rains tonight it'll get ruined. And you know that you'll probably never find another copy. All the bookstores we went to had never heard of it," I argued._

_He thought for a minute before answering, "Okay. You're right, but if your dad gets pissed at me for having you home late, I'm blaming you." He grinned, letting me know he was kidding._

_We turned around and headed back. As soon as I saw the light I ran ahead._

"_Olette!" I heard him call._

_I stopped once I got to the edge of the clearing. Walking over to where we had been sitting, I noticed that the book was gone._

"_Shit!" I cursed, glancing all around me._

"_Where could it be?" _

_Hearing tree branches being moved, I turned around, expecting Roxas to have finally caught up. _

_I screamed._

_Someone wearing a black cloak was standing there. I guessed it was a man, but I couldn't be sure because their face was obscured by the shadow of their hood. _

"_He's ours," said a cruel man's voice from underneath the hood. He reached up and grabbed his hood, beginning to lower it. _

xXx

Olette gasped awake. Someone was shaking her by the shoulders.

"Olette!" Leon yelled.

"What?" She stared at Leon, unable to comprehend why he was waking her up.

"Don't you have to go to school?" he smirked.

_What's he talking about? It's not six yet. My alarm clock hasn't gone off yet, _she thought annoyed.

Olette glanced at her alarm clock, contemplating the best way to kill Leon for waking her up earlier than she had to be awake. The clock read seven-thirty.

"Shit!" she shouted, jumping out of bed.

Leon leaped back, laughing.

"Hurry up and I'll give you a ride," he said, leaving the room.

Olette rushed around, grabbing the closest pair off jeans of the floor. She grabbed a plain green long-sleeved shirt from her closet and hurried to get dressed.

She sprinted to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. Grabbing a brush off her dresser she ran it through her hair a couple times and dashed out of her room and down the stairs.

Leon stood by the front door holding her backpack. She took it and slung it over her shoulder.

"You're welcome," he stated, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh yeah. Thanks."

He shook his head and opened the door. Olette jumped off the porch and on to the walkway.

"If you break your leg, then you'll really be screwed," Leon reprimanded, walking down the stairs.

"Sorry. I just really want to get to school," she replied, walking over to Leon's truck.

He unlocked her door and went around to the driver's side.

Olette opened the door and slid into the seat. _Can't believe I over slept, _she thought.

"Why are you so eager to get to school?" Leon asked after he had started the car.

"I have a test first period," she answered.

"All the more reason to skip," Leon replied as he pulled out of the driveway.

"Not at this school. If I'm late to class, they won't let me take the test. I studied my ass off last night, so I'd rather not miss it."

"How is school going by the way?" he asked.

"It's difficult, but I'm working hard," she answered.

"That's good." Leon reached over and turned on the radio. He fiddled with the knob until he had found a station that played 70s music.

"Love this song!" he exclaimed, turning it up.

Olette laughed. Their parents had passed their love for classic rock on to Leon. It had eventually trickled down to Olette. All though she preferred harder modern rock, she still loved bands like Led Zeppelin and the Steve Miller Band.

"Carry on my wayward son!" Leon and Olette sang at the top of their lungs.

The song transitioned into guitar riffs. Leon took his hands off the wheel and pantomimed playing the guitar.

"Leon!" Olette shrieked. "Put your hands on the wheel!"

Leon rolled his eyes and gripped the steering wheel. "If you don't like how I drive, you can always drive yourself."

"That would be hard, considering I currently don't own a car," she replied.

"Then don't complain." He turned and smiled at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

He laughed. "Very mature."

He pulled into the school parking lot and drove up to the sidewalk. Most students had already gone inside, but there were still enough sitting on the lawn to let Olette know the bell hadn't rung let.

"Bye. Thanks for the ride," she said grabbing her stuff and getting out of the car. She closed the door and waved. Leon waved back before driving off.

Olette walked towards the door. A group of girls near the stairs glanced at her quickly before turning to one another and whispering.

She ignored them and went up the stairs. A boy sitting on the railing looked up from his cell phone and leered at her.

"Hey, Sweetie," he said debauchedly.

"Hi," Olette replied, quietly. She hurried up the stairs, hearing the group of girls' laughter behind her.

xXx

Olette walked into History a minute before the bell rang. Two kids looked at her and snickered. Ignoring them, she walked over to her desk. Hayner looked up from his notebook at his desk across the aisle.

"Hi," he greeted.

"Hi. Did I miss anything this morning?"

"Oh, yeah. The whole school had a kegger on the front lawn. Man, are those teachers party animals," he replied sarcastically. "Nah. You didn't miss much. Those three guys sat with us. Roxas asked where you were."

"I woke up late," she said.

Hayner raised his left eyebrow. "You? Late?" he asked, smiling.

"It happens to the best of us," she said, with mock conceit.

"Please quiet down," instructed the teacher. "You have five minutes to study before the test."

Hayner retuned to his notes. Olette pulled hers out and reviewed the numerous dates she had memorized last night.

After five minutes the teacher told them to put their stuff away and began passing out the tests.

She handed Olette hers. Olette looked down and read the first question. _You've got to be kidding me, _she thought. The question was on the only event she hadn't bothered to study, due to how little importance it had. Moving on to the next question she was relieved that it was something she knew. As were most of the next fifty questions.

After writing her two short answerer questions she went back to the one she had skipped before.. _Guess it is time for the scientific method of Eeny-Meeny-Miney-Mo._

She bubbled in the last answer and turned in the test. Looking over at Hayner she saw that he had already finished. He was texting under his desk, looking angry. Olette glanced at the teacher to make sure she wasn't watching and pulled out her cell phone.

'_Everything okay?'_ she typed, before hitting send.

She glanced over at Hayner. He was frowning as he typed. He sent the text and looked up at Olette.

Olette looked down at her phone.

'_No. Sora wants to talk to me after class in the library. He says it's important.'_

Olette still didn't know why Hayner hated Sora so much. She was about to text back when she heard the teacher clear her throat.

"Ms. Hart and Mr. Cowden if you don't put your phones away now, I will confiscate them," ordered the teacher from her desk.

_Man, teachers see everything, _Olette thought as she put her cell phone back in her pocket. Hayner gave her a sheepish look before pocketing his phone.

Finally the bell rang. Olette stood up, waiting for Hayner. He grabbed his stuff and the two of them exited the classroom. They walked in silence until Hayner spoke up.

"Back in seventh grade, before Pence moved here, Sora was my best friend," he said sadly, looking up at Olette.

Olette stared at him, surprised. "What happened?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized the answer. She should have figured it out before. Hayner had told her from day one that he thought Sora and his friends were jerks, with the exception of Naminé. He especially disliked one of them more than the others.

"Riku," Olette stated.

Hayner nodded. "Sora's and Riku's dads were college buddies. Sora and Riku have always known each other, but were never really friends. In fact, Sora sort of hated the guy. Riku always had girls fawning over him and liked to brag about it. But because of their dads they hung out occasionally."

"What happened that changed them from sort-of friends to best friends?"

"Well, Sora had a huge crush on Kairi. Her dad also knew Sora's and Riku's from college. Sora, Kairi, and Riku practically grew up together. Kairi was always nice to Sora. They weren't friends, though. Kairi was popular and Sora was kind of a nerd. We both were," Hayner explained. He laughed without humor. "Yeah. It's true I was a geek."

Olette smiled slightly. "There's nothing wrong with that. I am still one."

Hayner shook his head. "You're nothing close to a geek, Olette. Anyways, Kairi liked Sora too, but she was too proud and cared too much what her friends would think to do anything. Sora knew this and for some reason he never explained to me, he told Riku. The two of them started hanging out more and pretty soon they were really close. It didn't bother me though. Sora and I hung out about the same amount of time we did before. It wasn't until the end of the school year that Sora began to blow me off. Because he hung out with Riku, he became more popular and other people started inviting him to parties and stuff."

"Let me guess. Because Sora was now popular, Kairi decided it would be sociably acceptable for the two of them to start dating," she replied.

"Pretty much. Riku managed to convince Sora that he should ask the most popular girl in school out. Sora was too scared though. He came to me asking for my opinion. When I told him that Kairi and all the others only liked him because he was popular he got pissed. I should have been nicer about the whole thing, but he had completely changed. He dressed differently, acted differently, and stopped doing the things we both had in common. That was the last time he ever talked to me as my friend. Sora asked Kairi out the next day and he's been friends with those people ever since."

"I'm so sorry Hayner," Olette said, sympathetically.

Hayner smiled. He put his arm around her in a non-romantic way. "It's all in the past."

A group of girls walking in front of them looked back. They eyed Hayner's arm around Olette. Turning back around, they whispered to each other, giggling every few seconds.

Hayner dropped his arm from Olette and gave her a confused look. She mirrored the expression.

"What was that about?" they both whispered at the same time.

"I have no clue," Hayner answered.

Olette frowned and changed the subject "Are you going to go meet Sora?"

"I don't know. Think I should?"

Olette shrugged. "That's your decision. But he must have a good reason."

Hayner sighed. "Guess I'll go see what he wants. See you at lunch." He turned around and began walking toward the library.

Olette glanced at her watch. There was still ten minutes of break left before her next class.

She decided to just walk the halls before going to English. A guy passing her gave her a weird smile. She furrowed her eyebrows and wiped her mouth. _Do I have food on my face or something? _she wondered.

Olette continued walking. She did a double take as she saw Larxene chatting with Zexion in a corner. Larxene was tapping her lips and talking about something. Judging by Zexion's crimson cheeks, Olette figured she didn't want to know what Larxene was saying.

The five minute bell rang. Olette headed toward the English hallway. She saw Riku with his arm around Naminé a few feet ahead, coming towards her. She smiled at Naminé as they passed, but the blonde looked away. Olette couldn't be sure, but it seemed as if Namine's blue eyes were riddled with guilt.

xXx

It seemed everywhere Olette went, people stared at her. As soon as they saw her looking at them, they would turn away quickly. _I'm just paranoid, _she reassured herself.

She stood in the lunch line, anxious to meet up with Hayner and Pence. She sighed, frustrated that the line was moving too slowly. The guy in front of her turned around. He looked Olette up and down before smirking.

"Can I help you?" she asked, slightly irritated.

"I'm Seifer," he replied.

Olette raised her eyebrows. "Hello," she responded, this time obviously annoyed.

Seifer seemed to take enjoyment out of this. His lips curled into a smile.

"What do you want?" Olette asked, not caring if she sounded rude.

"Hey. No need to be that way."

"Fine. Please leave me the hell alone," she said with false sweetness.

His face darkened. "Not worth it," he muttered before turning around.

Olette scowled. _What the hell is up with today?_

The line began to move more quickly. After a couple of minutes she chose her food and paid. Seifer didn't look back once, and for that she was glad.

She made her way towards the courtyard. A couple people looked up and snickered at her. It was impossible for her to ignore that something was wrong now. She moved her hair in front of her face, almost like a shield. It seemed as if the door was miles away, but eventually she reached it and pushed it open.

She made a beeline for the usual spot. Only Pence was sitting under the tree, his back against the trunk.

"Hi," he greeted, noticing her.

"Hi. Where's Hayner?" she asked, sitting down. It was much more comfortable to sit on the ground in jeans than in her usual plaid skirt.

"Not sure," Pence answered before taking a bit of his apple.

Olette frowned. She had been hoping to hear what had happened at the library.

"I'm going to buy some ice cream. Want anything?" Pence asked, standing up.

"I'm fine. Thanks."

He smiled before heading inside.

Olette sat there, thinking about her day. _Haven't seen Roxas today, _she thought, a little bit disappointed.

She had seen him in her dream, though. These days he was all she really dreamt about. The thought of her dream made Olette try to remember the details of her latest one. It had seemed different from the others. Usually her dreams were chaotic or confusing. Events happened rapidly, without anything connecting them.

Like her dream with Naminé. After she had disappeared, Roxas suddenly appeared and whatever Naminé had said had been forgotten. Things happened randomly with no explanation, such as Roxas fading or bleeding out of the blue.

But this dream had been different. With the exception of a few moments, it had been realistic. More like a memory than a dream. Obviously, the man in the hood had never existed and seeing shadows was ridiculous, but everything else felt like it had happened. But she knew it never did.

Her brain had fabricated the whole thing, using her feelings for Roxas. Or at least that's what her brain told her. But deep down, something nagged her. Something was amiss.

_Why am I so willing to refuse that any of these things ever happened? Roxas had barely even talked to me before that night when we almost kissed. But all of a sudden, he liked me. And Axel and Demyx kept pushing us together. Two complete strangers. Why? It doesn't make sense. Why did I feel so drawn to Roxas in the first place? I didn't even know him, but he clouded my thoughts, and I had feelings for him. A complete stranger. Maybe what I've been seeing isn't imaginary. Maybe it's real. What could have happened to make me forget?_

"Olette?"

Olette snapped out of her daze. Pence stood over her, holding an ice cream bar.

"You okay?" he asked, leaning up against the tree.

"Yeah. Just thinking," she answered.

"Kind of figured that. But you had a really weird expression on your face."

"Like what?"

"I'm not really sure. Really confused, but sort of hopeful," he answered.

"That _is_ weird," she said.

He waited to see if she would tell him what she was thinking about, but she remained silent.

"Olette, do you know why Hayner went to talk with Sora today?" he asked.

Olette looked up, surprised. "Why? And how do you know about that?"

"I overheard some kids in the cafeteria say that Hayner was suspended for punching Sora. One of the girls had been in the library and saw it happen. But that doesn't make sense. Hayner hasn't talked to Sora for a while. Why would he be doing it now?" Pence replied.

"I'm not sure. But he punched him?"

"That's what the girl said."

"Maybe it's just a rumor," she said.

"It could be. But I can see Hayner punching someone if he's pissed enough."

Olette smiled slightly. "Yeah. Especially Sora."

"I'm guessing he told you then. About what happened between the two of them I mean," Pence responded.

Olette nodded.

"Yeah. I can definitely see Hayner getting into a fight with Sora. They tend to overreact around one another. Remember when Hayner said something slightly mean to Kairi on like your second day of school?" Pence asked.

"And Sora got really pissed. Yeah, I always just thought that was a little over the top. But now I know that Sora's really protective of Kairi. Don't know why, though. She's a bitch."

"Kairi's like Sora's drug. No matter how terrible she is, he can't say no. Or at least, that's what Hayner says. He was friends with Sora even before elementary school. They knew each other really well," Pence replied.

"I can't believe Sora would abandon his best friend for two people who didn't even like him until he was popular."

Pence shrugged. "What he did was wrong, but I can see why. People are idiots in middle school."

A flash of messy blonde hair and bright blue eyes went across Olette's mind, but she instantly put the thought away.

"I guess so," she said, but she was thinking about her middle school years.

She could remember eighth grade almost perfectly, but the summer and the year before were blurry. Closing her eyes she tried to picture her old thirteenth-year-old self. A flicker of a hand wearing the black and white rings skittered across her mind. Instead of pushing the image away, she tried to focus.

_Roxas's hand was kind of clammy. Almost like he was nervous. _

_Our fingers intertwined. My hand fit perfectly in his. He saw me looking down._

"_Is this okay?" he asked, unsure._

_I smiled. He smiled back, his eyes getting brighter._

"Olette?"

Olette opened her eyes. Pence was sitting down now. He was watching her carefully.

"I'm fine."

'Okay," he replied, still looking concerned.

"Really. I'm fine. Just thinking."

"You seemed to be doing that a lot lately."

Olette shrugged and took a bite of her sandwich. Pence, knowing she wouldn't say anything else, changed the subject. The two of them talked about their next photography project until the bell rang.

xXx

Breathing in and out deeply, Olette fought the urge to kill the girls chatting at the table behind her. She was standing at the counter, processing her roll of film. It was hard to remember the next step with the idiots gossiping constantly.

"OMG! I can't believe you went on a date with Wakka!" shrieked one of the girls.

"I would have much rather gone with Tidus, but he's grounded. And I couldn't go by myself. That'd be awful," replied another girl.

"Tidus is so cute. Wakka's okay, but he's really nice," said a third girl.

"Who cares if he's nice? Tidus has a Corvette!" argued the first girl.

Olette stopped listening and looked at the timer.

"Shit!" she swore. Running over to the sink, she opened the lid of the processing tank and poured the chemicals out. Afterwards, she placed it under running water to rinse. She went back to the counter and began cleaning up.

The girls were no longer talking about the two boys. Olette decided to tune them out, but the sound of her name caused her to reconsider.

"Seriously? All three?" asked the second girl.

"Yup, that's what Yuna told me," answered the first.

The third girl giggled. "What a slut. Seems Miss Innocent, is nastier than we thought."

"Who is this girl?"

"I only know her name," answered the second girl.

Olette turned around. The girls obviously didn't know she was the subject of their conversation.

"What are you talking about?" Olette asked them, purposefully sounding ditzy.

The girls, more than willing to dish gossip, weren't even offended that she was eavesdropping.

"You haven't heard? This girl, Olette Hart is such a whore," answered the brown haired girl, the girl who had gone on a date with Wakka.

"What'd she do?" Olette asked, mimicking the girl's airheaded way of speaking. She figured they'd be more willing to tell her if she acted like one of them.

"She's totally sleeping with these three guys. I heard she alternates like every night," said the girl with long, black hair.

Olette gasped to herself. _What the hell?_

"Who?" she demanded, dropping the act of stupidity. The girls looked taken aback but one of them answered.

"Axel, Demyx and some blonde-hair kid. Don't know his name."

"Guess she likes them freaky," laughed the brown-haired girl.

"Those guys are so gay. She was probably on top," replied the black-haired girl, sneering.

Olette clamped her hand over her mouth, widening her eyes.

"You okay?" asked the black-haired girl.

Olette shook her head, her hands shaking as well.

"Please tell the teacher I went to the bathroom," she told the girls, before running out of the classroom.

The three girls shrugged, and began talking about the upcoming weekend.

xXx

Olette sat on the toilet lid, tears trickling down her face. She grabbed a wad of toilet paper and blew her nose, loudly. Crossing her arms to keep herself from shaking, she tried to calm down.

_Why would someone say that? Anyone who knows me would know it was a load of shit. My god, that's why everyone has been staring. And that Seifer guy, he thought I was easy!_

Olette choked back a sob. Never before had she been the victim of a vicious rumor. The thought of all those people talking about her, calling her a slut, made her skin crawl. She usually didn't care much about what others thought of her, but this rumor wasn't even close to being true. Sure she had kissed Roxas, but it had only been an innocent kiss, they hadn't even been making out.

_Oh god! What will those guys think when they hear this rumor? They'll know I didn't spread it, but it's still embarrassing. Who could have said this?_

She gasped, trying to let oxygen in her lungs. Her nose was stuffed up, making it hard for her to breathe. Maybe she was overacting, but she couldn't stop crying. Hugging herself, she rocked slightly.

"Olette?" asked three male voices.

_Who's in the girl's bathroom? _she wondered

"We know you're in here." Olette recognized Axel's voice.

"Let's hope she's the only one," whispered Demyx.

Olette stopped sobbing and unlocked the bathroom stall. Axel, Demyx and Roxas stood there, looking concerned.

"You okay?" Roxas asked.

"How did you know I was in here?" Olette croaked.

"We were leaving early and passed by the bathroom," Axel answered.

"We heard someone crying and it sounded like you. We've heard what people are saying and figured so had you," Roxas replied, his blue eyes unusually flat and dull.

Olette nodded her head.

"Good thing we were right. This would have been difficult to explain to a teacher," Demyx said, trying to make Olette laugh. She smiled slightly, but said nothing.

"Are you okay?" Roxas repeated.

Olette looked down and thought before answering, "Not really, but there's nothing I can do." She looked up, seeing that the three were frowning.

"What?"

"We think we know who spread the rumor," Roxas answered.

"Who?"

"Kairi," Axel said.

"We overheard her talking about it earlier this morning. Around here rumors, especially nasty ones, spread quicker than wildfire," Demyx explained.

"That doesn't mean it was her. Why would she do this? It's not like I insulted her or anything," Olette replied.

"I don't know, but I just have a feeling it's her. It feels like her," Roxas said.

Axel shot him a look, his eyebrows cocked. Roxas shook his head, so briefly Olette was sure she imagined it. Axel frowned and turned his eyes back on Olette.

"Don't worry. By tomorrow no one will remember this," Demyx assured her.

"That's easy for you to say," Olette snapped, surprising herself. "Sorry," she apologized.

"No. You're right. It's different for guys. You didn't deserve this, Olette," Roxas stated.

"I'm sorry, but we have to go guys," Axel said, looking up from his watch.

"Where are you guys going?" Olette asked.

"Some newspaper is doing an article on HEART. Xemnas wants us all there to smile pretty for the camera," Roxas answered bitterly.

"I should probably get back to class," Olette responded.

"I'll walk you back," Roxas said.

"Thanks."

Olette stood up. The boys stepped back, allowing her to exit the stall. She walked over to the door, opened it, and stuck her head out. She glanced down both hallways, checking to make sure no one was around.

"All clear," she told the boys.

They left the bathroom.

"Meet you by the car," Axel said to Roxas before he and Demyx headed to the parking lot.

Olette and Roxas walked in silence. She peeked out of the corner of her eye at him. He was looking down at her dangling hand, appearing to be debating with himself. He noticed her looking. She smiled, letting him know it was okay.

He laced his fingers with hers. Their hands fit perfectly.

They walked until they reached the photography room.

"Guess I got to go," Roxas said.

Olette reached up and pulled his head toward her. Their lips met for a few seconds before she pulled away.

He grinned. "I wanted to do that, but thought you might get mad."

"Why?"

"It would feed the fire," he answered.

"I don't care," she said.

"Then I hope you don't mind if I do this," Roxas replied. He wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her to him.

He pressed his mouth against hers. Although harder than the kiss before, it didn't lose any of its sweetness.

Olette, feeling brave, slid her tongue in his mouth, tasting him. Roxas froze for a second, but responded by caressing her tongue with his.

They broke apart. Roxas looked slightly stunned, with a pleased smile on his face.

"See you tomorrow," Olette said, stepping into the classroom.

"Yeah. See you," Roxas replied, the smile still on his face. He turned and headed down the hallway.

Olette watched him for a second before closing the door and walking over to her table.

She sat down, confused as ever. _That was not a kiss between two people who have just recently met. He knows something, but what? _

"Shit!" she yelled suddenly remember something important. Jumping up, she ran over to the sink, only to find the processing tank with her film was gone.

"Shit!" she repeated, this time quieter.

"Looking for this?" Pence asked from behind. She turned, seeing he was holding her processed negatives.

"How?" she asked.

"I came out of the darkroom and asked Selphie if she saw where you went. She said you had gone to the bathroom, but had forgotten your photography crap - her word's not mine - in the sink. I didn't want them to get ruined, so I checked your cups with the chemicals, saw that everything but Permawash was gone and finished them for you," he explained.

"Thanks so much Pence," she gushed, relieved she wouldn't have to redo the project.

"No problem. But why did you leave while processing?" he asked, puzzled.

"Didn't feel well."

Pence gave her look, obviously not buying it, but said nothing. He handed her the negatives.

"Thanks," she said.

Pence smiled and walked away.

Olette went over the negative dryer and hung up her film. She walked back to her table and sat down.

"So, you're Olette?" asked the black-haired girl, coming up to her.

"That'd be me," Olette answered, leaning down and searching through her backpack for her book.

"How well does the redhead screw?"

Olette jerked upwards. "Excuse me?" she replied harshly.

"You heard what I said." The girl smiled cruelly.

"I wouldn't know. Do you always believe what you're told?" Olette responded. Changing her tone to imitate the girl's she replied, "Cause, like, FYI the last time I checked, belly fat hanging out of your shirt is not attractive, even if your BFF tells you that you look totally fabulous."

The girl's jaw dropped. She stormed off towards Selphie and the other girl.

"Buh-bye" Olette said, wiggling her fingers after the girl.

"That was unexpected," said a voice from behind.

She whipped around, seeing Pence staring at her. Olette blushed, ashamed of how cruel she had been. Normally, she would ignore people like that, but too much anger had been boiling up inside her; it had to spill over eventually.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"Don't apologize. I can't stand Tifa. It was just something I never thought I'd hear from you. You're usually so even-tempered. What happened?" he replied.

"She was antagonizing me 'bout some rumor," she answered.

Pence scrunched up his brow, puzzled. "What rumor?"

Olette smiled. It was refreshing that there actually existed someone in the school who didn't get pleasure out of gossiping. "Something concerning me and some friends of mine." She waved her hand dismissively.

"I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

The bell rang. Olette packed up her stuff. She waited for Pence and the two of them left the classroom together.

xXx

Olette walked into the Spanish classroom, smiling to herself. She wasn't going to let some outrageous rumor destroy her morale.

Her smile faltered as she saw Riku sitting there. Holding her head up high, she walked over to her desk and sat down.

Riku turned to her and smirked. "You've been busy since we last talked."

Olette rolled her eyes. "You know that rumor is false. After all, Kairi was the one to make it up. And you, being one of her puppets, were more than willing to help."

Riku's eyes darkened. Olette grinned sweetly.

"It sort of takes the fun out of it when the person you meant to hurt isn't bothered," she replied, her tone sugary.

Riku lifted his chin slightly. His lips curled into a smile. "I underestimated you. Most people are too chicken to go up against Kairi. You're a lot tougher than I thought. It's an admirable quality."

"Cause what you think is my biggest worry," she said sarcasticly.

"It was a compliment. I don't issue them frequently. And when I do, I really mean them," he responded, sounding more like the Riku she had first met.

He smiled and faced forward.

Olette grinned to herself. Although she and Riku would never be friends, there was still hope for them to be at least nice to one another.

As Señor Ansem rambled on, she thought about the day's events. Putting the rumor behind her, she chalked it up to a great day.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hoped you guys liked it. My longest chapter! Huzzah!

I'm so glad I redeemed Riku a wee bit. Hopefully you guys agree. He's just too awesome to be the jerk for so long.

I think the saddest part about this chapter is that the conversation between the three girls in Photography was based on the conversations I hear all the time in that class.

Also, sorry if the photography lingo was confusing.

Please review. Even if you have before. One minute of your life makes me a wee bit happier.

Thanks again for reading. Im busily working on chapter 13, hopefully I'll be able to post it next week.


	13. Drowning:R

Chapter 13!!! Over a thousand hits!!!

Thanks to Midnight Hikari and Alice the Ninja( I actually think that'd be a cool pename, although I prefer Jedi :) ) for reviewing.

To Alice the Ninja: You're questions about Roxas confused me a wee bit, but I'll try to answer them the best I can. Roxas's parents were killed in a car crash when he was thirteen, so when ever he remembers them it's from the time when they were alive. Also, before Olette moved to Twilght Town, Roxas hadn't seen her for five years. He also only knew her for a year back when they were 12/13(not sure if I've actually said that yet, but now you know.) So when he remembers her, it's his memories from the year they were friends. He's always remembered her when he was in the Organization, but his memories are from that year. Hope that helps.

This chapter was a wee bit hard to write. I had my idea for a while, but had trouble wording it for it to make sense. There might be one point when you're wondering 'what the hell just happened? Is she crazy?', but I promise I explain it later in the chap. Sorry again.

Huzzah for longest chapter. Over seven thousand words. I can't believe that when I first started writing Erased my goal for each chapter was two thousand.

Anyways, on to the chapter!!!!!!!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_It's getting worse._

_At first it was faint, barely even noticeable. Now it's beginning to choke me. _

_I feel it everywhere. It seeps from every pore._

_I feel it from everyone. Even _her, _although not as strong as with the others._

_I guess no one can escape it. Everyone suffers from demons. Everyone has darkness buried within them._

_Some are just better at hiding it._

xXx

Roxas sat on his throne, listening to Marluxia discuss the possibility of a new member. It made him sick to his stomach. They were discussing this poor girl as if she were something to collect and place on a shelf for everyone to look at until they got bored and moved on to something else.

"We've been watching her carefully. She displays some signs, but so far we have yet to confirm anything," Marluxia stated.

"How old is she?" asked Vexen, carefully taking a record of the proceedings of the meeting.

"Thirteen. She'll be fourteen in half a year," replied Xaldin.

"But she has yet to show any indication that she is one of us?" questioned Luxord.

"That is correct," answered Marluxia. He turned to face Xemnas directly, instead of just addressing the whole room. "Should we continue to observe her, Superior?"

Xemnas pondered before saying, "Terminate the mission. If she hasn't shown signs by now, then she is not one of us."

The elders nodded, Vexen writing the order down.

Roxas quietly let out a sigh of relief. The nameless girl would never know how close she had been to being uprooted from her life.

_How close she had been to being erased_, Roxas thought bitterly.

"Does any one of you have something you'd like to discuss?" Xigbar asked, looking at the five younger members. His formality was ruined by his surfer accent.

The five teenagers glanced at one another. This was the first time they'd been acknowledged at a meeting. Usually, they just sat there listening until they were dismissed.

Roxas stared up at the elders. Marluxia's lips were curled into a sinister smile. The others looked amused as well.

He turned his head to Axel, their eyes meeting. Axel's green eyes mirrored the same confusion as Roxas's.

"Don't be afraid to speak up. You're all eighteen. Only three more years till you become full-fledged members. It's time for all of you to have more privileges," Luxord said, smiling proudly.

Others, such as Marluxia, frowned at his words. It was obvious of what they thought of the third generation.

Roxas saw Zexion straighten up out of the corner of his eye. But none of the younger members said anything.

"Very well. Cloaked Schemer, Flurry of Dancing Flames, Melodious Nocturne, Savage Nymph, Key of Destiny you are dismissed," instructed Xemnas.

The five teenagers bowed their heads before jumping down from their thrones. As they were all standing around the middle of the throne room, Xemnas clapped his hands. All the thrones, with the exception of the five that had just been vacated, began to rise in the air.

Roxas watched the thrones grow, dumbfounded. The other four also watched the chairs increase in height. He heard a collective laughter come from above. The elders were clearly enjoying the surprised looks on the teenagers' faces.

"You have been dismissed," Xemnas yelled.

The teenagers jumped and moved rapidly to leave the room. The elders chuckled again before continuing their meeting.

Roxas turned to face Axel after the door had shut behind them. "What the hell was _that?_"

"I have no clue. Have they always done that when we've left?"

Demyx shrugged.

"You guys have fun hanging out down here. I'm going upstairs," Larxene snapped, pushing past them to get to the stairs.

Zexion stopped, already halfway up the staircase. He waited for Larxene to catch up. Larxene smiled seductively at him, making him blush. The two of them walked up the stairs together.

Roxas rolled his eyes, turning to Demyx. He laughed as he saw that Demyx's mouth was hanging open. "Come on. You know nothing's going on between the two of them. Larxene just likes to see how far she can push people."

"Yeah. She'll get bored eventually. Trust me," Axel replied, beginning to climb the stairs. "Poor guy."

Roxas and Demyx followed him.

"Oh yeah. You used to date her. It completely slipped my mind," Demyx responded.

Roxas hit him in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Demyx yelped.

They reached the top and turned the corner towards the main staircase that would lead them to their rooms.

Demyx grumbled something about having a black and blue arm if Roxas and Axel didn't stop hitting him.

"Would you prefer your head?" Roxas asked, smiling.

"What'd I even say?"

Roxas pointed to Axel, trying to hide it.

Axel stopped walking. "I saw that. And anyways I don't care. That was a long time ago. I'm over it." He paused, his Cheshire cat grin spreading across he's face. "So Demyx, dated one of your fan club members yet?

Demyx puffed out his chest. "As a matter of fact, I have a date with one of them tomorrow. She's the least creepy of the group. Plus, she's cute."

Roxas and Axel exchanged amused looks and started walking again.

"She appreciates the music," Demyx argued, following them.

"Sure she does," Roxas and Axel replied in unison.

"You guys are tools," Demyx responded before going into his room.

Axel and Roxas laughed. They separated, each going into their own room.

Roxas unzipped his black cloak and flung it on the floor, not bothering to hang it up properly like he was supposed to. He really hated the stupid, oversized cloak that was mandatory for him to wear every meeting. The elders wore it proudly, often during training sessions. They believed it was a great honor to wear the cloak, that's why the younger members were only allowed to wear it to meetings. The cloaks were a barrier between the elders and the apprentices. Roxas was in no hurry to break that wall. He didn't want to have more Organization privileges, didn't want to be a full member.

He lay down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. After a few minutes, a sinking sensation washed over him.

He felt bitter of all a sudden. The desire to blame all of his problems on someone else became stronger. It was all because of his damn father that he craved the taste of cigarettes, the aroma of the smoke they produced. His scarred arms screamed at him every time he rolled up his sleeves, reminding him of his own personal hell.

The feeling faded away, turning into the feeling of desperation. He forced himself to remain optimistic while he watched his best friend struggle to keep holding on. It hurt that his friend wouldn't let him help. All he wanted to do was to help, but his friend kept falling. Kept falling faster…

Roxas gasped for breath, jerking upwards. Leaning his chin on his bent knee he said, "Hi Axel." He turned and saw the redhead standing in the doorway.

"How'd you know it was me?" Axel asked.

"Lucky guess," Roxas answered, staring at Axel's shoes. He couldn't face looking into those knowing green eyes of his.

"You okay?"

Roxas looked up, focusing on Axels' nose. "Yup."

Axel raised his eyebrow. "Can I come in?"

Roxas thought for a minute. The feeling Axel had been giving off had faded, but he wasn't sure if it would come back.

"I don't feel well. Sorry," Roxas stammered.

Axel looked hurt. "Oh. Okay. Hope you feel better man," he replied as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

As soon as he had left, Roxas instantly regretted it. Axel wanted to help him, but Roxas kept pushing him away. He didn't mean to, but something had been happening to him the past few days, and he was starting to go crazy from it.

He couldn't even explain the feeling. It felt as if he had crawled into someone's mind for a minute and became them. It sounded so ridiculous even to him that he hadn't bothered mentioning it to anyone else. They would only think him insane.

It was the worst when he was near the other Organization members. They were the first he had felt it around. He had also felt it faintly at school. That's how he had known Kairi had spread the rumor about Olette.

He had been sitting against a tree, reading, when all of a sudden he felt cruel, vicious. It was almost as if someone had dumped a bucket of pure malice over his head. The feeling had left as quickly as it had come, but it left an impression. Without any explanation he knew who the emotion had belonged to. He could practically feel Kairi creeping across his mind.

Roxas lay back down. The absence of someone else had left him numb. He closed his eyes. Memories of what he had sensed around the other members came rushing back to him.

"Damn it!" he yelled, jumping up from the bed.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and cradled his head in his hands. _What the hell is happening to me?_

He didn't want to know about Demyx's need to remember what was lost to him forever or Zexion's jealousy every time he saw Larxene flirt with another guy. The worst was what he sensed around Axel. Roxas had known about Axel's past, but this was too much for him. He didn't want to feel like someone else, especially when that person worried about him constantly. It was hard enough to keep himself from exploding with all of _his_ problems. All this darkness from everyone else kept piling up on him. Eventually he would suffocate.

_Wait a sec!_ He lifted his face from his hands and thought hard. _What I'm feeling never changes. It's always depressing. Doesn't matter what the other person is doing. It's also always constant. I'm feeling… no that's impossible. _He chuckled out loud, feeling madder by the second. _But what's impossible for someone with powers?_ _Darkness. I'm sensing the darkness in people. Xemnas told me darkness would overpower me. Is this what he meant?_

The more Roxas thought about it, he realized how absurd it sounded. Every Organization member, with the exception of Naminé, had an ability that controlled something physical.

Only Naminé's ability involved something mental. That was why she wasn't an actual member. Xemnas had determined her power to be weak.

Roxas produced darkness; he couldn't feel it from other people's hearts. Xemnas had recruited him because he could be trained into a solider. What good would it be to the Organization and its prophecy that Roxas knew people's personal demons?

_But what else can explain this? _Roxas pondered feverishly. He got up from the bed and began to pace around his room, which was difficult considering the mess.

_I am the Chosen One. Maybe I'm supposed to be different from those already abnormal. Otherwise, what would it matter that I can create darkness? How would that benefit the Organization? It hurts people, sure, but how can that change the world's perception of people like us?_

A knock on his door brought him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

Axel opened the door. Roxas stumbled as the wave of bitterness crashed over him. It faded quicker than the last, but Roxas could still feel the pain and anger.

"Sorry to bother you man, but the phone's for you," Axel said, tossing him the black receiver.

Roxas caught it with his left hand. "Thanks."

Axel nodded before leaving the room.

"Hello?" Roxas said into the phone.

"Hi Roxas. This is Olette"

"Oh. Hi. Why are you calling this number? I have a cell phone," he replied.

"Well it would be difficult to call you since I don't have your number. I had to look this one up in the school directory," she answered.

Roxas blushed, glad she couldn't see. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten to give her his number. They weren't officially dating, but he hoped they would be in the near future.

He laughed nervously. "Sorry about that."

"No problem," she replied.

There was a moment of silence.

"Um, Olette?"

"Yes?"

"Is there a reason you called?" He flinched, noticing how rude he had sounded.

"Just wondering how you're doing," she answered, sounding as if she regretted dialing the number.

Roxas chuckled to himself, making sure to cover up the bottom of the phone, so she couldn't hear.

_It's funny how she was never flustered around me when we were twelve, _he thought, slightly amused.

"I'm really good," he lied. "How 'bout you?"

"Good." She paused before gushing, "Want to do something tomorrow?"

"Sorry didn't hear that," he replied, grinning to himself.

_She certainly has changed. I would have never thought this was the same stubborn girl who always told me that I needed to get over my shyness. But not all change is bad._

"You heard what I said. Don't make me repeat myself," she responded, more forceful this time.

_Okay, maybe she hasn't changed too much._

"I'd really like that," Roxas answered. He heard her breathe a sigh of relief. "What'd you have in mind?"

"Oh. I didn't really of that. A movie?"

Roxas shuddered. The last he thing he wanted was to be around a load of people on his date with Olette. If he was correct about his whole 'sensing people's darkness' theory, then the best thing would be for the two of them to be alone, or at least only near a small amount of people.

'_Course, I wouldn't mind that anyways, _he mused.

"Not a big movie fan," he said. Thinking, he came up with the perfect idea. "How 'bout I pick you up at five tomorrow and surprise you?"

Olette laughed.

"What?" Roxas asked.

"Sorry. It's just that when guys say that, they don't really have an idea. They're just playing it by ear."

"I find that offensive," he teased. "Don't worry. I actually have a really nice place in mind."

"That would be great. Oh, crap. I have to go. See you tomorrow," she said.

"Bye," he replied. He heard the line click off. Pressing the off button, he sat down on his bed again. He tossed the phone onto a pile of clothes and leaned back.

For once, he didn't think about the prophecy looming over his head, or even the terrible turn his ability had taken. All he thought about was what he was going to do on his date with Olette.

xXx

_I hid behind a tree and tried not to breathe too heavily._

_I craned my neck around the trunk, trying to see if she was anywhere near._

"_Found you!" _

_I whipped around, surprised. She was standing in front of me, a triumphant smile across her face. Her soft brown hair was cascading over her green eyes._

"_But how?" I sputtered._

_She had been right behind me. I had heard her footsteps as the leaves crunched beneath them._

"_You were making a lot of noise. It wasn't that hard," she answered._

_I frowned. I was sure I had been as quiet as possible. _

"_I'm getting bored with this. Is it all right if we go back home? You can come over to my house for dinner," she said._

"_Sounds great."_

_We walked through the woods, heading towards home. I looked over at her dangling hand, wanting to hold it badly. As always she seemed oblivious to how I really felt about her. I stuck my hands in my pockets in order to prevent me from doing something stupid._

"_Race you!" she shouted suddenly, running up ahead._

"_Not fair!" I yelled back as I began sprinting. _

_After a few minutes I stopped. Panting, I looked all around me._

_Where was she? No way could she have gotten too far ahead of me._

"_Olette!" I cried out._

_I stopped caring that I could barely breathe, and began running as fast as my legs could go._

_If anything happened to her, I'd never forgive myself._

_My lungs burned and my legs screamed for me to stop, but I had to find her._

_I halted abruptly. A man wearing a black coat materialized in my path. His pink hair flowed over his shoulders._

_He smiled cruelly. "Key of Destiny, come with me."_

"_Not a chance in hell," I replied. I ran forwards, planning to go around him. As I passed he grabbed my hood and pulled me backwards. _

_I fell on a cushion of leaves._

_The man smiled again. "We've been watching you. You are one of us. There's no escaping it. It's time for you to forget your past and fulfill your destiny, Chosen One."_

xXx

Roxas woke up to someone standing over him. He jumped, hitting his head on the baseboard of the bed.

Zexion smirked and stepped back.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Roxas asked, frowning.

"You're wanted in Training Room One," Zexion answered.

Roxas looked over at his alarm clock and groaned.

"But it's five in the morning. On a Saturday," he complained.

Zexion merely shrugged his shoulders and turned to leave. Roxas felt his jealousy over always being second best before he exited the room.

Roxas swung his legs over the edge of the bed and got off. He searched through piles of clothing until he found a black long-sleeved shirt and put it on. After stripping off his sweats, he grabbed the closest pair of jeans and slipped them on. He checked to make sure the black and white rings were still on his fingers and hadn't fallen off while he slept. The rings were a reminder of _her_ and his life before the Organization, so he never took them off.

Without bothering to brush his hair, he left the room, closing the door behind him. As he passed Axel's and Demyx's rooms, he peeked inside. Neither one was in their room. _That's weird. It's five. Where are they? _he thought

He continued down the hallway until he got to the stairs. _This better be important, _he grumbled to himself. All he wanted to do was crawl back into bed until his date with Olette.

He made his way down to the basement, where all the training rooms were. The door to Training Room One was opened, so he entered without bothering to knock.

"Hello?" he called out, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Roxas?" replied two voices.

Roxas focused and saw that Axel and Demyx were standing in the room looking confused. Both appeared to have just been dragged out of bed. Demyx's normal faux hawk was flat against his head, due to the absence of the enormous amounts of gel that were usually there. He was still in his pajamas; sweats and a white tank.

Axel's already wild red hair was sticking up all over the place. It made Roxas's look tame. Axel was having trouble standing, he was so exhausted. In fact he hadn't even bothered to get dressed. He was just wearing his sweats with no shirt.

Axel yawned before saying, "Does anyone have a clue as to why we were woken up this damn early on a Saturday?"

"Nope," Demyx and Roxas answered.

"You're here to train," instructed a voice.

The three all turned towards the door, where Marluxia was walking in.

Saix came in next, followed by Vexen.

"Axel and Demyx you will be fighting against Roxas," said Vexen.

"What?!" the three boys yelled

Marluxia's lips curled into a smile. Saix just stood there looking pleased with himself.

"We'll be watching from the observation room," Marluxia stated, pointing upwards at a small balcony shielded by glass. The three elders moved to leave the room.

"What if we don't want to fight each other?" Roxas growled.

Saix turned around and smiled cruelly. His abnormally yellow eyes were cold. Roxas flinched as a wave of hatred washed over him.

"You don't have a choice. If you wish to leave this room, you will fight until a clear winner is determined." Saix left, slamming the door behind him.

The three teenagers stood in the center of the room looking at each other, dumbfounded.

"What did he mean by 'clear winner'?" Demyx asked.

"I'm not sure, but if Saix is judging, then one…" Axel paused and looked over at Roxas, "…or two of us are probably going to be severely injured."

"Aw, man! I have a date tonight." Demyx groaned.

"So do I," replied Roxas.

Axel arched his eyebrow. "Olette?"

Roxas nodded.

A tapping sound from above made the three look up. Saix, Vexen, and Marluxia were watching them, irritated they had yet to start.

Demyx, Axel, and Roxas looked back down.

"May the best man win," Axel said, holding out his hand for Roxas to shake.

Roxas took it and responded, "Good luck."

"Sorry buddy," Axel said remorsefully as he reeled back and threw a fireball at Roxas.

Roxas ducked, the fire singing his hair. He formed a small orb of darkness and threw it at Demyx. Demyx yelped and jumped out of the way.

"Hey I wasn't prepared!" he shouted. He threw his hand up in the air. Water rushed around him, forming a wall. He swung his arm back down, now holding a sitar-like weapon.

"Where the hell did you get that?" yelled Roxas and Axel in unison.

"Found out I could make it a couple days ago. Don't really know how it happened. I was training with Xigbar and suddenly it was in my hand. Pretty cool huh?" answered Demyx.

Axel nodded, still staring at the sitar. Roxas took the opportunity and sent a giant orb of darkness at Axel's head. Axel stumbled back. He looked up at Roxas, grinning.

"You'll regret that," he said while laughing.

He created a fireball and hurled it at Roxas. Roxas swung his arm, Oblivion appearing in his hand. The Keyblade reflected the fireball back at Axel.

Axel jumped out of the way and swore. "No fair! I'm the only one without a weapon!"

"Sucks for you!" Roxas produced an orb or darkness and threw it up in the air. As it fell to the ground, he swung Oblivion, hitting the orb as if it were a baseball. The orb flew across the room. Demyx raised his sitar, blocking it.

"It's impossible for either side to win," Axel panted.

"No offense to Roxas, but I'm going to try my hardest. I have a date tonight," Demyx replied. He threw his free hand up into the air. Giant bubbles rained down upon Roxas.

Roxas laughed. "Bubb-?" He was pushed backwards as a bubble crashed into him.

"Told you they were terrifying," teased Demyx. He sent a wall of water at Roxas.

Roxas was thrown from his feet. His head cracked against the floor.

"Shit!" yelled Demyx. "I'm so sorry."

When Roxas didn't move Demyx started to panic.

"Calm down, Demyx," soothed Axel, trying not to freak out himself, but his worry got the best of him. He ran over to where Roxas was laying. "Roxas!" He shook him, but Roxas continued to stay still. Or at least, most of him did. The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile. Axel stood up. "You ass," he shouted, half annoyed, half relieved that Roxas was okay

Roxas stood up. "I wasn't faking it at first. Those bubbles hurt," he stated.

"Pretend to be seriously hurt again, and I will kill you," Axel grumbled.

Roxas just grinned. "Whoa, man!" he exclaimed, pointing to Axel's neck. There were blisters covering the area where Roxas's orb of darkness had him.

"Don't worry. Doesn't hurt much," Axel responded.

"Sorry," Roxas apologized.

"Hey! Can you guys stop being nice to each other and start beating the shit out of one another? I would like to get some sleep before my date!" Demyx joked.

"Yeah. I'd like to go on my date with Olette," Roxas replied. Then, whispering, he said to Axel, "Think we can stage one of us winning?"

Axel shrugged. "We can try. But they might catch on fast."

"Not if we act well," Roxas stated, whacking Axel with the Keyblade.

Axel stumbled backwards. He glanced down at his bleeding shoulder and raised his eyebrows. "That hurt. Couldn't you not actually kill me?"

"Sorry. Got to make it look real."

"Well, in that case then," Axel replied, punching Roxas in the nose.

"Son of a bitch!" Roxas shouted. He clutched his nose, feeling the warm blood leaking down onto his mouth.

Axel smirked. "That's for the blisters. Also, I think Demyx needs to join in on the fun. He's standing over there looking a little too fondly at his new toy."

Roxas laughed. He held out his hand and tried to conjure an orb. Nothing happened. _Huh? That's weird._ He focused harder, trying to feel the darkness within him. The only thing that happened was that the sensation to find what was lost crept over him. _Damn. Now is not the time to feel like Demyx._

He closed his eyes, determined to produce the darkness. The feeling he was receiving from Demyx lingered. _Come on_, he urged himself. He pulled on the darkness, forcing it to come to him. The feeling of desperation from Demyx left. Roxas gasped, feeling numb again. He opened his eyes, seeing that no orb had come to his hand. _But I felt it. I pulled it out. Where'd it go?_

"Um, Roxas? You okay?" Axel asked, staring at him, unsure of what Roxas had been trying to do.

"Yeah. Just having difficulty with my ability."

Axel frowned and waved Demyx over.

Demyx ran over to them. "Guys, I just looked up and the elders seem really pissed."

"I don't really care that we aren't entertaining them enough," replied Roxas. He was still confused as to why his ability had failed. _I know I felt the darkness being pulled out. What the hell happened to it?_

The door to their right opened, causing them to jump. Marluxia walked in, looking furious. Naminé followed behind him.

"Because you have yet to impress us, we have decided to give you some incentive," Marluxia stated. He gestured to Naminé, who stood there looking frightened. "Demyx if you and Axel win, Naminé will restore your memories."

Demyx gasped. Roxas and Axel exchange nervous looks.

Marluxia continued, "Axel, if you and Demyx win, Naminé will erase your memories of your unhappy childhood."

Roxas glanced over at Axel, who seemed to be offended.

"No deal," Axel declared forcefully. "You take those memories away from me, you take away what makes me the person that I am."

Marluxia frowned but began talking again as if Axel hadn't spoken. "Roxas if you defeat these two, Naminé will restore the memory of your friend, Olette."

Naminé gasped. "Don't, Roxas! Olette already-"

Marluxia grabbed her, covering her mouth. He pulled her out of the room.

Roxas stood there, thinking. _Does Marluxia really think by doing this we'll obey him? He's out of h-_

Roxas was thrown back as Demyx hit him with his sitar. He reached up and touched his temple, now dripping with blood.

"Demyx?" Roxas murmured. His head spun, making it hard to keep his balance. Axel caught him before he was about to hit the floor.

"What the hell?" Axel shouted, furious.

"Sorry. But I need those memories. I need to know what my life was," whimpered Demyx.

"What does it matter? Just because you remember doesn't change the fact that you still live here. Your parents won't remember you. It doesn't change anything!" Axel argued.

Demyx's eyes darkened. He threw out his arm, sending a blast of water at Axel.

Roxas fell to the ground as the jet hit Axel in the chest, slamming him up against a wall. Axel crumpled to the floor and remained motionless.

Roxas lifted himself up from the floor, resisting the urge to throw up. "Stop it, Zexion! I know it's you. Demyx is too good of a friend to do this!"

Demyx laughed darkly. "I'm not Zexion. This is me. I'm still your friend. I'm just desperate to get those memories back. Can't you understand that?"

"Yeah. I can understand that, Demyx. But Axel's right. It won't change anything. Don't let the elders win. They just want to pit us against each other. Don't give them the satisfaction." Roxas stared at Demyx, trying to determine what had made him hurt Axel, his best friend.

Demyx's eyes smoldered, shocking Roxas.

_Something's wrong. Demyx doesn't even act like this when he's pissed, _thought Roxas.

"Just let me win, Roxas," Demyx pleaded.

Anger boiled up inside Roxas. "You think you're the only one who deserves to win? The girl I love doesn't even remember me!"

"So what if she doesn't remember you from your old life? She's with you now. Isn't she? You still have her. I have nothing!" bellowed Demyx, completely out of character.

He ran at Roxas, swinging his sitar. Roxas rolled out of the way, just as the sitar hit where he had been standing.

"Now that's just plain rude!" Demyx yelled. He raised his sitar in the air.

Roxas ran at him, Oblivion ready to strike.

"No you don't!" Demyx brought the sitar to the floor. A colossal wall of water came up from the ground.

The force flung Roxas backwards. He hit the wall and slid down. Axel twitched next to him. Roxas waved his hand, dizzy from the impact. His eyes blurred as Demyx walked towards him.

Roxas felt something heavy in his raised palm. A tingling sensation flowed from the object to him. His eyes became focused and his head cleared up as Oathkeeper worked its healing magic.

He jumped up. Oblivion made contact with Demyx's sitar as he swung. The noise that the two made when they collided echoed off the walls. Roxas saw Axel move from the corner of his eye.

Using Oathkeeper, Roxas hit Demyx in the stomach. Although not as powerful in strength as its brother, the Keyblade surprised Demyx. He stumbled and let go of his sitar. It fell to the floor, turning into water.

"Noooo wayyyy!" Demyx cried, dropping to his knees. He stared at the puddle, his eyes frantic.

"I've won, Demyx. It's over," Roxas said, his voice dripping with pity for his friend.

Demyx looked up at him. His usually bright, merry green eyes darkened.

Roxas stumbled back. A wave of desperation crashed over him, stronger than ever. It was too much. The feeling of anguish and the craving for his past filled him up. He was drowning in it. There was too much. His heart couldn't bear it any longer.

Roxas heard the Keyblades clink against the floor as they fell from his hands. He dropped down on to his knees, gasping for breath.

Demyx's terrified expression was the last thing Roxas saw before everything went black.

xXx

Axel stood up gingerly, watching as Roxas sent Demyx backwards. He saw the sitar fall to the ground and dissolve into water. Demyx cried out in disbelief.

Axel stared up at the elders, who were watching with expressions of glee. Saix had his nose pressed to the glass, as if he were anticipating something,

_Surely,__ they don't want Demyx to kill Roxas. The elders might not like Roxas because he defies them, but he _is_ their Chosen One, _pondered Axel.

The sound of Roxas gasping broke him out of his daze. He snapped his attention back to where his two best friends were fighting.

Axel ran forward as Roxas passed out. Without even thinking, he raised his arms up in the air. He felt the heat explode from his hands as two metal circular weapons appeared in his hands, one in each.

Demyx watched, fascinated as he stood and backed up. Axel threw the weapons up in the air, a wall of fire surrounding him. The two weapons spun around him, catching fire. He brought his arms to his chest, his skin feeling as if it were ice compared to the burning intensity of the flames. Thrusting his arms out, he sent the two weapons flying.

Demyx, in response, created a wall of water to shield himself. The circular weapons pierced through the wall, destroying it. Although the flames surrounding the weapons were extinguished, the impact of the metal against Demyx's chest sent him flying. He landed on his back, where he remained and did not move.

Axel looked over at his two best friends, both still. He hugged himself, the lack of flames making him cold. Hearing clapping, he glanced up, seeing the elders looking amused. Axel looked back down, tears rolling down his face.

xXx

_Can't see. It's too dark._

"_Roxas?" asked a concerned voice. _

_I smiled__ as her sweet voice filled my ears._

"_Roxas! Are you okay?" she asked soothingly._

_I wanted to see her beautiful face, but it was too dark._

"_Can't see you. It's too dark," I mumbled._

_She laughed softly. __"Let me fix that." I felt her hand grab mine. She pulled me upwards. Into the light._

xXx

Roxas opened his eyes. Sunlight poured from the blinds.

"He's awake!" cried a soft voice. Roxas instantly felt disappointed. The voice wasn't the one he had heard in his dream. It wasn't the one he wanted to hear.

"Naminé?" he asked, sitting up.

She smiled. "Thank goodness you're awake! I was worried you'd miss your big date tonight!" she exclaimed.

"What time is it?" he muttered.

"Twelve. You've been out for a while." Her smile disappeared. "I'm so sorry. Marluxia just grabbed me and forced downstairs. He made me tell him what the one thing you wanted more than anything was. Except for Axel. I told Marluxia something that Axel would never want. It wasn't fair that he was pitting your two best friends against you. I knew Axel would never really battle you no matter what Marluxia promised him, so I lied to not betray his secret. But the elders already knew what you and Demyx wanted. I swear I didn't think that Demyx would try to hurt you. I have no clue what came over him," she explained, starting to cry.

"Naminé. It's okay. I don't blame you for anything that happened. Just tell me one thing. How are Axel and Demyx? Are they hurt?"

Naminé stopped crying. "Axel's fine, just a little torn up about hurting Demyx."

"What?"

Naminé flinched at the loudness. "After you passed out, Axel attacked Demyx. He injured him enough to knock him out, but he should be fine in a couple of hours."

Roxas placed his face in his hands. "What happened? Why did he act like that? One of my best friends."

When Naminé didn't respond right away, Roxas looked up at her.

"What do you know?" he asked gently.

She glanced away from him, trying to find the right words.

After a few moments of silence, she turned to him and uttered one word, "You."

Roxas stared at her, unable to comprehend what she was saying.

"What?"

Her blue eyes filled with tears again; this time they were not for her, but for him.

"Roxas, do you even know what the prophecy says that you are supposed to do?"

He shook his head and furrowed his eyebrows.

Her eyes filled with pity and she looked away from him.

"What does it say? And how do you know?" he asked.

"I know the memories of people. I've seen it in Xemnas's mind. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. If I do and they find out…" she trailed off, but Roxas knew what she meant.

"Can you at least tell me why this was my fault?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by a knocking on the door. She stood up and opened it. Axel stood there, looking exhausted.

"Is he awake?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered.

The two of them walked back to where Roxas was sitting. Naminé sat down at the chair in front of his bed. Axel just stood.

"You okay?" he asked.

Roxas nodded. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you could answer that," Axel replied.

"What do you mean?"

Axel glanced over at Naminé. She shook her head slightly.

"You're the reason Demyx acted like that," Axel said, looking Roxas in the eye.

Roxas bristled. "What's that supposed to mean?" he snapped. Axel grimaced.

"Calm down, Roxas," Naminé soothed.

"I will when one of you tells me what the hell happened!"

Tears spilled over Namine's cheeks.

"Sorry," Roxas whispered.

She wiped the tears from her cheek. Axel stuck his hand in his pocket and took out a light blue handkerchief. He handed it to her. She took it and mumbled "thanks".

Roxas raised his eyebrow.

"It was my mom's," Axel stated. He stuck his hands back in his pockets. "You really don't know?"

"I have no clue why Demyx acted like that. Anyway, how do you know?" Roxas asked.

"Naminé explained it to me," Axel replied.

Roxas glanced over at the blonde girl, who was wiping away her last tear. She handed Axel back the handkerchief. He took it and pocketed it.

"Roxas, you released his darkness," she responded.

"What are you talking about?"

Axel rolled his eyes. "Stop it, Roxas. We know what's been going on with you the past few days. Or at least Naminé did and told me. Why didn't _you _tell me? I'm your best friend."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Roxas lied.

"Enough!" shouted Axel. "Stop lying! I'm trying to help you, but you won't let me."

"I don't need help," Roxas said, looking down at the floor.

He heard Axel sigh. And then he heard something unexpected. Axel chuckled.

Roxas lifted his head. "What?"

"I know you think the whole 'I'm so angsty' thing attracts girls, but if you haven't realized it by now, I'm a guy. And you just look kind of pathetic right now." Axel grinned.

Roxas frowned. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized Axel was right. He laughed. "You don't find my brooding attractive?" he joked.

Axel smirked. Naminé just stared at them, confused.

"Okay. I know I haven't been honest lately, but I knew you and Demyx would worry about me and I don't like feeling pitied," Roxas said.

"Get over it," Axel replied, not unkindly.

Roxas glanced over at Naminé. A wave of feeling unwanted washed over him. It disappeared a second later. He smiled at Naminé sympathetically. She smiled meekly back.

"You guys gonna explain to me what I did?" he asked.

"It wasn't really your fault. I mean you caused it, but you didn't know you were doing it." She paused for a moment before continuing, "Remember when you couldn't produce one of those orbs of darkness?"

Roxas nodded, and then froze. "Wait. How'd you know about that?"

She smiled apologetically. "While you were passed out, I read your memories of the fight. Sorry, but I wanted to make sure my theory was correct."

"It's okay."

"Well, Roxas, when you tried to pull the darkness out of you, you accidentally pulled on Demyx's instead," she explained.

"Huh?"

She paused again, trying to find the right words. "You've figure out that you can feel people's darkness right?" Roxas nodded. "Well, from your memories it seems as if you can pull people's darkness out, but only for a little bit. When you do, the darkness kind of overpowers them and they act like their darkness. If that makes any sense at all."

"I don't understand. Before, when I used my own darkness, I didn't act any different," Roxas replied.

"That's because you feel yours all the time. Others, like Demyx bury it and try to ignore their pain. Or, and I'm just guessing here, 'cause you have yet to manipulate their darkness, people like Marluxia, who are cruel, their darkness isn't buried deep down, making it easy for you to pull on it, intensify their malice or such," she answered.

"So let me get this straight," Axel broke in, "nice people, such as Demyx and I'm guessing, me…" he looked over at Roxas, who nodded, "…their darkness is their personal demons. And not-so-nice people, their darkness is their viciousness?"

Naminé shook her head. "Not necessarily. Mean people have suffered too. Sometimes that's the reason for their cruelty. And nice people have nasty moments too." She stopped suddenly and began blubbering.

"What's wrong?" Axel asked.

"I'm so sorry. It's just that I helped Kairi spread that terrible rumor, even though I knew it was a load of shit," she said, sobbing.

Axel and Roxas looked taken aback. Naminé _never_ swore.

"It's okay. I know you feel horrible about it," Roxas assured her.

"We don't blame you at all," Axel added.

She smiled weakly, but the tears still rolled down her cheeks.

Axel dug into his pockets and produced the small handkerchief. He offered it to Naminé, but she shook her head.

"I'll stop crying soon," she promised. Her cell phone rang. She took it out of her skirt pocket. "It's Riku. Talk to you guys later." She stood up and left the room.

"So, how's Demyx?" Roxas asked once Naminé had disappeared around the corner.

"Confused. He doesn't know really know what happened," answered Axel.

"I can't believe it was my fault," Roxas replied, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Dude, don't beat yourself up about it. It _wasn't_ your fault."

"Ugh! I hate this!" Roxas exclaimed.

Axel raised his eyebrows.

"You know what I'm talking about. I hate felling different. Even compared to you guys I'm a freak," Roxas replied solemnly.

Axel sat down in the chair Naminé had vacated. "I'm going to ignore that indirect jab at me being a freak."

Roxas smiled apologetically.

"Anyways," Axel continued, "You need to stop moping around. Olette obviously doesn't think you're strange. She is going out with you tonight, right?"

"True."

"And she clearly likes you," Axel added. He thought for a minute before saying, "Were you two an item before? When you were like twelve or whatever? 'Cause she seems to have fallen for you pretty fast."

"We were as close to dating as thirteen year olds could get, or at least for a few weeks. But you know she doesn't remember any of that. No traces of us are left, so she can't," Roxas answered sadly.

Axel frowned, thinking. "You never know. She could remember one day."

Roxas shook his head. "I wish she could, but the only one who remembers those days is me." He stared at his two rings as he twisted them around on his finger. Looking back up at Axel he said, "Let's go talk to Demyx. I want to apologize."

The two of them stood up and left the room.

xXx

Roxas fidgeted nervously and glanced up at the clock for the hundredth time.

"Dude, stop," said Demyx. He was sitting in one of the chairs, writing in a blue notebook.

Demyx, when Roxas had told him what had happened, had barely even gotten angry. Like Axel, he understood. Roxas had apologized profusely, earning him a whack in the back of head from Demyx.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing. After all I did beat the crap out of you," Demyx had said after hitting Roxas in the head.

The blonde teenager was now eagerly writing a new song based on the experience. "Angst is great for songwriting," he had joked.

Roxas looked at the clock again.

"I swear, if you do not stop I will soak you," Demyx said while laughing. But Roxas knew that if he continued to look at the clock, eventually Demyx would actually spray him with water.

Axel walked into the living room. "Here you go, buddy," he said, tossing Roxas the keys to his truck. Axel was the only one of the teenagers that owned his own car. Roxas had asked to borrow it and Axel had agreed, but first he had to clean it out.

"Thanks, man," Roxas replied, getting off the couch. He stuck the book he had been trying to read, but had failed due to his nerves, in his back pocket. "See you guys later. Good luck on your date, Demyx."

Axel and Demyx waved goodbye.

Roxas walked over to the front door and left the mansion. He went over to Axel's truck and unlocked the door. Sliding into the seat he thought, _I_ _need to stop being nervous. It's going to be great. _

He pulled out of the driveway and headed in the direction of Olette's house.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hoped you guys liked it.

A wee bit of a cliffhanger!

Yes, the girl at the beginning is Zion, but she won't actually come into the story cause she annoys me.

To anyone counting the word 'darkness' was used twenty eight times in this chapter alone. I really wish it had more synonyms. I hate over using a word.

Thanks again for reading. Happy Ides of March!!! (My birthday!!)

Please review. I love getting feedback. Means uber much to me :)


	14. Jalapeños and Onions:R&O

Wow, it's been forever since I last updated. And on a cliffhanger too! So sorry guys I've had the chapter written for a couple weeks, but things have been so hectic I didn't have time to get it edited. Again, uber sorry. But hopefully you think this chapter was worth the wait. I had so much fun writing it!

Uber thanks to darklightningdevil, and japaneserockergirl for reviewing. Thx to those who favorited. Man, do I love getting feedback! And of course thanks to my editor.

This chapter is a wee bit different from those in the past. I probably won't do this again, but it was absolutly nesassary for this chap.

Enjoy!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Okay, calm down. He'll be here soon._

_It's going to be all right. _

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

_Need to relax._

_It's going to be great._

***

_Okay, calm down. Man, do I feel like a nervous chick._

_It's going to be all right. _

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

_Need to chill._

_It's going to be great._

xXx

Roxas rang the doorbell to Olette's house. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. The door opened, revealing a guy a few years older than himself. The guy ran his fingers through his brown chin-length hair and narrowed his eyes at Roxas. Roxas immediately recognized him as Olette's older brother.

"Um, hello. Is Olette here?" Roxas stammered. He had never really been around Leon much when he had been younger, but the guy still had managed to intimidate him.

"Yes. Who's asking?" Leon's tone was harsh, but Roxas detected faint amusement in it.

"Leave him alone, Leon," said a voice from behind the guy. Leon opened the door wider, allowing Roxas to see Olette.

Roxas let out a breath of relief. "Hi Olette."

She smiled apologetically. "This idiot is my brother Leon. Don't worry. He's just giving you a hard time."

Roxas laughed nervously. He glanced at Leon, noticing that he was watching him with a smile on his face.

Roxas held out his hand for Leon to shake. Leon took it, looking impressed.

"So, you're the guy Olette won't stop talking about," Leon said, giving Olette a smile.

"Hopefully it's all good stuff," Roxas replied, starting to feel less tense.

"Oh crap. I forgot something. Hold on. I'll just be a minute," Olette exclaimed before disappearing up the stairs.

Leon rolled his eyes after her. Turning back to Roxas he said, "She might be more than a minute. Why don't you come inside to wait?"

"Sure. Thanks," Roxas replied, stepping inside the house.

Leon led him into a large sitting room and sat down. Roxas stood for a second, before deciding to sit in a plush green armchair.

Leon smirked. "Nervous?"

Roxas nodded.

"Don't be. Just take care of her. Cause if you don't, I'll have to kill you," Leon joked, but Roxas could tell he was being serious from the look in his eyes.

"I'll take care of her," Roxas responded, looking Leon straight in the eye.

Leon smiled. "Good. Now, how bout I show you Olette's baby pictures."

"I will hurt you if you do," Olette laughed, entering the room.

Roxas stood up from his chair. He saw that Olette had put on the turquoise necklace.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yup."

The three of them walked over to the front door.

"Bye, Leon," Olette said, opening the door.

"It was nice meeting you, man," Roxas said. Even though he had met Leon before, he knew Leon didn't remember him.

"You too," replied Leon. He waited for Olette to go outside before saying to Roxas, "Please don't hurt her. Keep her safe."

"I would never hurt her. I promise," Roxas replied.

With that, he stepped outside, Leon closing the door behind him.

xXx

Roxas focused on the road, resisting the urge to stare at Olette. Her brown hair was pushed back from her face, her bright green eyes unhidden. She was wearing no makeup, which was something Roxas was attracted to. He hated when girls caked on so much goo that they no longer even looked like themselves. But not Olette. She had never worn makeup when they were younger and still didn't. Another thing that hadn't changed about her.

But some things definitely had. She was wearing a green long-sleeved shirt that emphasized her curves. Roxas realized he had been peeking at her from the corner of his eye. He quickly snapped his attention back to the road.

"So, where are we going?" Olette asked.

"If I told you, then it would no longer be a surprise," Roxas answered, grinning.

"I hate when people say that."

"Don't worry. It'll be fun," he responded.

"I know," Olette said.

Roxas turned into a parking lot. It was nearly deserted. He pulled up to the front and parked the truck.

"A train station?" Olette asked.

"Yup." Roxas grinned at her and got out of the car. He walked around and opened her door.

"Wow. Chivalry isn't dead," she replied, jumping down from the car. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"So, is this the special place?" she asked.

"Nope."

Roxas reached over and laced his fingers in hers. They walked up the stairs and into the train station. The lady at the ticket booth smiled at them as they walked up to her.

"How can I help you?" she asked.

"Two tickets to Sunset Terrace, please," Roxas replied.

"That'll be fifty munny," the lady stated, handing Roxas the tickets.

Roxas let go of Olette's hand and dug into his pocket for his wallet. He pulled out the munny and gave it to the woman.

"Enjoy your day." She grinned at them.

"Thank you," Olette and Roxas responded. They turned away from the ticket booth and went to find their train.

"So, Sunset Terrace? What's there to do there?" Olette asked.

"You're not very patient are you?" Roxas teased.

"I'm just curious."

They finally found their train. Roxas handed the conductor the tickets. He headed towards the back of the train, Olette trailing after him.

"Roxas, there are seats up here," she said.

"I know, but I want to find an empty car," Roxas replied.

They continued walking from car to car until they found one with no one in it. Roxas sat down in the last seat and slid over to make room for Olette. She sat and leaned her head on his shoulder. Roxas caught a whiff of her grapefruit shampoo. _This is going good, _he thought. He put his arm around her, bringing her closer to him.

* * *

Olette leaned on Roxas's shoulder, waiting for the train to start. Despite Roxas's arm around her, she was cold. She shivered involuntary, goose bumps covering her arms. Roxas turned away from the window and looked at her.

"Is this okay?" he asked, worried.

"Yeah. I'm fine," she answered, not wanting to explain that the reason for her shivers was because she tended to get cold when nervous.

Roxas smiled at her, but said nothing else. He just kept staring at her with those bright blue eyes of his, almost as if he still couldn't quite believe they were both here together.

"So how did your interview go?" she asked after a minute, trying to break the silence. It wasn't awkward, but she felt if they remained quiet for much longer she would explode.

"The newspaper thing? It was okay. The article comes out next week, I think," he replied.

"What sort of things did they ask?"

"The normal stuff. 'How do feel about HEART?' ' How has it changed your life?' 'Do you appreciate the things the Xemnas and the others have done for you?' It was a lot of smiling and saying, 'Yes, HEART has made my life better.' All that crap," he responded, his voice turning acidic on the last words.

Olette caught the faint pain in his voice. "What's wrong?"

Roxas looked back at the window. "Nothing," he replied.

"Roxas."

He didn't move.

"Fine, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she said, sympathetically

He sighed and turned his head toward her. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to talk about this on a first date." He paused and grinned. "I want you to see how great I am before I tell you all my faults," he said, his tone light.

"But this isn't our first date." The words slipped out of Olette's mouth before she realized what she was saying.

Roxas's eyes grew wide.

_Where did that come from?_ she wondered. _But the words felt right. She felt as if they were true. How is that possible?_

The two of them stared at one another. Roxas's brilliant blue eyes seemed to display ten different emotions at once. She held his gaze, trying to decipher each one individually. He stared back at her, as if she were puzzle he couldn't quite solve.

The train jerked forward, beginning to move. Olette turned away from Roxas, looking ahead. But she could still feel him watching her.

***

Roxas looked away from Olette. _What did she mean by 'this isn't our first date'? Is she simply counting the fire thing as a date? Or is Axel right, and she's remembering? _

Roxas shook his head, trying to clear the thought. The last thing he wanted was to hope for something that would never happen.

***

They sat in silence as the train traveled on. Finally, Olette turned to him. He was staring out the window, watching the scenery pass by in a blur.

"Where are we going?" Olette asked again, sounding excited. She wanted this date to get better, not that it was horrible, but so far they had yet to really talk to one another.

Roxas looked at her and grinned. "You'll see."

Olette feigned pouting. "I want to know now!" she exclaimed in a fake bratty voice.

"Patience is a virtue," Roxas replied, smiling.

"Fine. If you won't tell me willingly, then I shall have to force you."

Roxas raised his eyebrows. "And how do you intend to do that?"

"By doing this." She pressed her lips up against his. He teasingly pushed her away after a few seconds.

"That's fighting dirty," he laughed.

"Care to tell me where we are going?" she asked.

He pondered for a second before saying. "So let me get this straight. Either I tell you where we are going and you don't kiss me. Or I get to keep the surprise _and_ kiss you. This is such a dilemma." He paused to smile at her. "But I think I shall take my chances with the latter."

He gently lifted her chin and brought her to him. His tongue slipped into her mouth. Olette felt herself turn red, glad Roxas's couldn't see. He kissed her harder, but still in an affectionate way. She took his hand, the one not around her shoulder, and intertwined her fingers with his.

He squeezed her hand before pulling away.

"I think we're here," he said, looking out the window.

Olette peered out the window, realizing that everything was still. They both laughed, amused that they had been so occupied that neither had realized the train had stopped.

Standing up, they got off the train.

"So this is Sunset Terrace?" Olette said, once they had walked down the steps away from the train station.

"Yup," answered Roxas, taking her hand.

Olette looked around as they walked. On either side of the street were small shops. People were strolling about, enjoying the warm weather. Roxas moved out of the way as two young boys ran past him, holding what appeared to be blue ice-cream. He turned to her and grinned. She smiled back.

"So what do you think?" he asked.

"It's really pretty here," she answered, looking all around her at the vibrant flowerbeds.

"You haven't seen the best part yet," Roxas replied.

"And that would be?"

Roxas shook his head. "Not yet. That's for later." He stopped in front of a small building.

Olette looked up at the sign. ""Sunset Horizons'?"

"Yup." Roxas led her inside the building. He went up to a podium with a woman standing behind it. Olette looked behind her, seeing tables full of people eating and having a good time.

"Hello. How may I help you?" she asked.

"Table for two," replied Roxas. "And is it possible for us to have a table outside?"

"Sure thing." The hostess smiled at them and began walking towards the back of the restaurant.

Olette and Roxas followed her, passing by the tables of people. Several of the groups dining consisted of large families, small children hopping up and down in their seats. A few tables held groups of people their age.

At one table sat a man with long dreadlocks. He stared at her with harsh, blue eyes, his mouth in a tight line as if he were angry. Olette glanced at Roxas, seeing if he had also noticed the strange man, but he was looking straight ahead.

The hostess guided them to a table on the balcony, near the railing. Olette gasped as she looked out, seeing the bay spread out below.

She heard Roxas and the hostess chuckle from behind her. Feeling her cheeks warm up, she turned back around.

"Was that the best part?" Olette asked, after the hostess had told them their waiter would be there shortly and walked away.

"Not even close," replied Roxas. He stood behind the chair farthest from the railing, waiting for Olette to sit down. She walked over to the other chair and pulled it out, preparing to sit.

"Oh," he said.

Olette looked up from her chair. Roxas was still standing, an embarrassed look on his face.

Olette blushed again, realizing that he had been waiting to pull out her chair for her. "Sorry," she said.

"That's okay," Roxas responded seating down. "I just thought you would want to sit in the chair facing the bay, so you could see it."

"Now I feel really stupid," Olette laughed.

Roxas grinned and picked up his menu.

"You're not going to order for me, are you?" Olette asked in a teasing manner.

Roxas looked up from his menu, a confused expression on his face. "No. Why would I do that?"

Olette laughed. "Sorry. I was just kidding. I read this book once, where they went to a fancy restaurant and the guy was the only one given a menu because the guys ordered for their dates in that restaurant. And you seemed so fond of opening my door and pulling out my chair that I thought you liked the old fashion dating rules."

Roxas's cheeks reddened as he smiled sheepishly. "I just thought you would appreciate that kind of stuff."

"I do. It's rare to find a guy with manners," she replied.

"Oh. You misunderstood me. Once we've gone out a few times I won't have to do all the chivalry crap," he joked.

Olette picked up her napkin and threw it at his face.

"You all ready to order?"

Olette turned her head, seeing that the waiter had come up to the table. She jumped slightly, surprised.

Sora grinned, amused. His left eye was purple, the bruise from where Hayner had punched him healing.

"Hi Sora. You work here?" Olette asked, the shock wearing off.

"Sort of looks that way," he answered kindly. "You guys want something to drink?"

"Sure. I'll have an iced tea," said Olette.

"And I'll have a Coke," answered Roxas.

"Okay. I'll be back with those soon," Sora stated, writing the order down before walking away.

"Ouch. That black eye looked like it hurt. Wonder how he got it," said Roxas.

"You haven't heard? Hayner punched him in the eye last week. That's why Hayner hasn't been at school. He got suspended for fighting."

"Why'd he punch him? I know Sora can be a jerk, but still."

"Sora met up with Hayner to apologize to him about the rumor," she paused, involuntarily flinching at the memory of the whole school believing her to be easy, "He told Hayner that even though he hadn't spread the rumor, he hadn't tried to stop it either. He felt bad about it and wanted to confess to Hayner what had happened. Hayner, being the hot head he can be sometimes, punched him, not caring that Sora was apologizing," Olette explained.

"Wow," replied Roxas.

"Si," Olette responded.

"Ah. So you take Spanish, I'm guessing."

"Yeah. How'd you know?" she asked.

"Axel takes it too and he likes to break into Spanglish sometimes," he answered.

"I tend to accidently do that on class work," laughed Olette. "What language do you take?"

Roxas shook his head. "I took Spanish freshman and sophomore year, but that's it. Señor Ansem is a real heartless teacher."

"I know!" Olette agreed.

"Here you go," said Sora coming up to their table and setting their drinks down. "You guys ready?"

Roxas and Olette nodded.

"I'll have the Jalapeño Taste Explosion Burger," Olette said.

"And I'll have the Uber Burger with extra onions," Roxas, said after Sora had written Olette's order down.

Sora smirked.

"What?" Roxas and Olette asked in unison.

"Nothing. I just thought you two were on a date."

"We are," Roxas replied.

"Okay. Forget I said anything," Sora responded. "I'll be back soon." Before he walked away Olette thought she heard him murmur, "Kissing's gonna be a bitch for those two."

Roxas chuckled, having also heard it. "Onions and jalapeños. Yum."

Olette realized what he meant. "Damn. I didn't bring gum or mints."

"That's okay. I like the taste of jalapeños," Roxas replied, a mischievous smile on his face.

"And I don't mind onions."

"Guess it's good that we're together, then.

Olette smiled. "Yeah. It is."

They continued chatting and joking around until their food came.

Olette's mouth watered as the smell of her burger wafted up her nose. She picked it up, not caring that Roxas was watching and took a huge bite.

"That's attractive," Roxas said, before taking a bite of his burger as just as large as she had.

"Ha ha. Very funny," she replied her mouth still full of food.

"Ugh._ That_ not so much, but I really mean it. Most girls are too afraid to eat more than a salad on a date."

Olette swallowed and grinned at him. "Not to sound like a bad chick flick cliché, but I'm not like most girls."

"I know," Roxas replied, his blue eyes focused on hers. Olette felt them piercing through her, but she kept his gaze.

Roxas gasped and looked away.

"Are you okay?" Olette asked worried.

"I'm fine. Just spicy onions." He grabbed his Coke and took a sip.

"You sure?"

Roxas smiled and nodded. Olette noticed his eyes were focused on her nose instead of her eyes. A definite sign he was lying.

***

Olette frowned slightly, but said nothing. She turned her head to the bay and watched as the boats floated serenely.

Roxas took a bite of his burger, trying to rid himself of the horrible feeling that had just washed over him. It was weird enough to feel like someone else, but when that person happened to be a girl, it was worse. It was hard to explain, even to himself, what it felt like, but it was certainly different. Girls thought differently, and as much as he hated to admit it, girls were more likely to feel deeper emotions.

Although the emotion Olette had produced was dim, it had been enough to make him feel uncomfortable. Her confusion had mixed with anxiety, as well as the desperate need for answers. Roxas had felt as if there were a pit in his stomach. Something was missing and if the hole wasn't filled soon, he would feel broken forever.

Or at least that was the way Olette felt.

Roxas watched her as she stared off into the bay. _Why would she be feeling such a thing?_ he asked himself.

But he also knew that sometimes people weren't aware of their darkness. Or they were, and they buried it down deep inside them, masking the pain with other happier thoughts.

Roxas looked away from Olette. Her emotions lingered, but they stayed in the background, his own thoughts and feelings dominant.

She turned back to him and smiled. Her eyes were melancholy. Clearly she had been thinking about something that was troubling her.

"You okay?" Roxas asked.

"'I'm not sure. It's just that I feel as if…"She trailed off as if she realized what she had been about to say. "Never mind."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. As you said, we're getting kind of personal for a first date. Guess I've read too many chick lit novels. They tend to act unrealistically and tell their inner most thoughts to each other," she replied, smiling.

Roxas grinned. "I wouldn't know. I don't really read those kinds of books."

"I would hope not," Olette laughed.

Roxas smirked in response. "So you ready to move on to phase two?"

"Yup."

Roxas raised his hand in the air. A few minutes later, Sora appeared.

"All done?" he asked.

"Yes. Thanks," replied Roxas.

Sora picked up their plates. "I'll be back with the check," he said, before walking away.

"So what's phase two?" Olette questioned.

"Just wait and see. But I hope you're not completely full yet."

Olette raised her eyebrow, intrigued.

Sora came back and placed the check on the table. He then rushed off to a nearby table, where a harassed-looking mother was waving frantically in order to get his attention.

Roxas picked up the bill and examined it. He reached into his pockets and pulled out the correct amount, plus a decent tip.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yes. Can't wait for the next surprise," she replied.

They stood up and walked through the restaurant, his arm around her shoulders, hers around his waist.

***

They strolled through the streets, occasionally pausing to peek into the quaint shops.

More groups of people their age were out and about, enjoying the later hours of their Saturday.

Roxas led Olette to a small, brightly-colored stand. A long line of varying ages stood in front of the stand, clearly waiting for something. Roxas and Olette joined the line.

"And what is this for?" Olette asked, curious.

"Olette, if I tell you it would ruin the surprise," Roxas teased.

The line began moving, the two of them getting closer to the front every ten seconds. Finally there was only one person in front of them.

"One, please," the man said to the vender.

The vender reached inside of the stand and pulled out one of the strange blue ice creams Olette had seen the young boys holding earlier. The man handed the vender some munny and moved out of the way.

"Two, please," Roxas requested, stepping forward.

The vender reached inside of the stall, to where Olette assumed there was a freezer, and pulled out two ice creams. He handed one to Roxas and the held the other as he waited for Roxas to pay him. After Roxas had paid, the vender handed him the second ice cream and winked at him, smiling at Olette.

The two thanked the vender and walked over to a bench close by.

"One of those for me?" Olette asked, teasing him.

"Nope," Roxas laughed, but a few seconds later he handed her the ice cream. "I guess you can have it," he said, smiling.

Olette stared at the strange-colored desert. She glanced over at Roxas ,who was licking his merrily.

"What flavor is it?" she asked, a tiny bit hesitant.

"Sea-salt," answered Roxas between licks.

"Huh?"

Roxas stopped eating and looked over at her. "You'll only find it in Twilight Town. It's one of the things we're really proud of. Try it. I promise you'll like it, if not love it."

Olette raised the ice cream to her mouth and took a small taste. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "That's incredible!"

Roxas grinned smugly. "Like it?" he joked.

Olette took a huge bite before answering, "This tastes really good. It's salty, but sweet."

Roxas chuckled. "Careful. If you eat too fast, this stuff will create the worst brain freeze you'll ever have. Trust me on this. Demyx once dared me to see who could eat one the quickest. I won, but it was a terrible price to pay."

"I'll keep that in mind," replied Olette, taking another lick.

Roxas laughed again and went back to eating.

A few minutes later, Olette finished her ice cream. She wiped her sticky hands on the sides of her jeans and looked over at Roxas, still eating his ice cream.

"I'll be right back," she said, getting up to find the nearest trashcan.

It took her a few minutes to cross the lane due to the immense crowd of people trying to make their way toward the train station. It was getting close to sunset, the sky already beginning to darken. Parents walked swiftly, clutching the hands of their children. A small girl in pigtails smiled at her as she passed by.

"Oh, sorry," Olette said, accidently bumping into someone.

"Not a problem, miss," replied a rough voice.

Olette looked up, seeing the man with dreadlocks from the restaurant. He smiled at her slightly before continuing on his way.

Finally, after getting through the crowd, she located a trashcan and tossed in the popsicle stick. She stood there, watching for a break in the enormous throng of people. After a few seconds, one appeared. She ran forward through the brief, unoccupied space. Someone yelled a profanity at her as she brushed by them, but she kept on going until she reached the other side.

Roxas stood up from the bench when he saw her. She walked over to him.

"That was exhilarating," she said sarcastically.

"I was worried I was going to have to call in a missing person's report. You completely vanished from sight for a couple of minutes," Roxas joked.

"It was terrifying," Olette laughed. "Hey, where did you put your trash?"

"Over there," Roxas answered, pointing to a trashcan about five feet away from the bench. He smirked, seeing the expression on her face.

"You jerk!" Olette cried out, but still beaming at him.

"Sorry, couldn't resist."

Olette looked around at the now almost deserted streets. There were still some small groups still hanging around, but they consisted of teenagers.

"Where are we going next? I'd love to go down to the bay."

Roxas shook his head. "Sorry, but if we do that, we'll miss it." He grabbed her hand and began running in the opposite direction of the station.

"Where are we going?" she asked, out of breath from the sudden rush.

"It's time for the best part!"

The two of them dashed up a steep hill.

"Roxas!"

"Sorry, but we need to hurry," he replied, a little breathless himself.

_Where the hell is he taking me?_

xXx

Olette watched, amazed as the sun slowly dipped beneath the clouds. For a few seconds the sun and earth collided, until it disappeared underneath the surface, leaving the sky an assortment of blues, pinks, and oranges.

"There's a reason the place is called Twilight Town. After the sun sets, it's almost of if the world stops. Everything's still. The stars come out and blanket the sky. All the worries of the day evaporate leaving behind an impossible-to-disturb calm," Roxas said softly, almost as if he were speaking to himself.

Olette looked away from the now darkened sky and turned to him. "Thank you," she said, kissing him on the cheek.

He put his arm around her and pulled her in tighter. "You're welcome."

"I've _seen _the sun set before, but never actually _watched_ it. I just thought it was something that happened every day, nothing special. Can't believe how stupid I was," she replied.

"You're not stupid, Olette." He reached up his left hand and stoked her cheek. They moved forward, their lips caressing one another. She reached up under his shirt and ran her fingers up and down on his chest.

Feeling Roxas flinch beneath her touch, she pulled back. He withdrew his mouth from hers, but nestled his nose up against hers.

"It's okay. Just want to make sure I don't lose control. We are in a public place after all," he laughed, quietly, so only she could hear.

They pulled apart from each other and looked around, seeing the other couples sitting on the hill were in a similar position to the one they had just been in. Roxas laid back, Olette followed him and leaned her head on his chest.

Roxas lifted his arm and pointed up at the sky. "That's Orion," he said.

"I know. I'm taking Astrology. But I didn't know you were into it," replied Olette.

"My parents were astronomers," he said, softly.

Olette lifted herself up off his chest, propped herself up on her elbow, and looked at him.

"They died in a car crash when I was thirteen," he stated, continuing to look up at the sky.

"I'm sorry," Olette replied sympathetically.

He turned his head and looked at her. "That's why the article really bothers me. I'm sick of saying HEART is my family. It's not true. Sure I love Axel and Demyx like brothers, but I would much rather have my parents still be alive. And I'd do anything to get my…" He stopped talking abruptly.

"Roxas, you're crying," Olette whispered.

His blue eyes bored into her, the frustration and sorrow evident in them. He wiped away the tears trickling out of his eyes and turned back to staring at the sky.

Olette laid back down and closed her eyes. Roxas reached out and laced his fingers together with hers. She squeezed his hand encouragingly.

***

Roxas stared up at the sky, Olette by his side.

"Roxas, this is re-"

"Huh?" he asked, wondering why she had stopped in mid-word. "Olette?" he asked, worried now.

He lifted his torso gently off the ground, so as not to disrupt her. She stayed still. "Olette?" he repeated.

"Roxas," said a voice with a British accent from behind him.

Roxas turned his head, seeing Luxord and Xaldin. He glanced around. All the other couples were motionless.

"What do you want?!" Roxas shouted, knowing the other people couldn't hear him. He was used to Luxord stopping time and knew the rules of it. He gingerly picked Olette up off from himself and laid her head on the ground. Standing up, he faced the two men.

"Don't talk to us that way. We are your superiors," barked Xaldin.

Roxas gritted his teeth together, but repeated in a more respectful tone, "What do you want?" He paused. "Sir," he added staring at Xaldin.

Xaldin narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Luxord smirked, clearly amused.

"Sorry to bother you, Roxas, but you neglected to tell us about your night's events. You know the rules," Luxord explained calmly.

"Last time I checked, I'm a legal adult. You have no right to control me," Roxas replied.

Luxord sighed, but continued smiling. "Laws of normal people don't apply to us. You know that. As long as you are part of the Organization, you will obey our rules."

"I never chose to be a part of this," Roxas growled.

Luxord's light blue eyes smoldered. "No matter, you _are _a member of the Organization and you will comply with what you are told. This is your warning." Softening his tone he added, "I've always treated you with respect, Roxas. Out of the third generation you are my favorite pupil. I've always been proud of you. Please don't destroy that. You have a great purpose. One that others would kill for." He turned and began walking down the hill. "Enjoy the rest of your date," he called from over his shoulder.

Xaldin continued to glare at Roxas. "Just because Luxord is kinder than he should be _doesn't _mean what he says should be taken lightly. This is your _only_ warning. Screw up and someone," he paused looking over at Olette, "could get hurt." With one last hateful frown, Xaldin turned and followed after Luxord.

Realizing he only had a few seconds until Luxord resumed time, Roxas ran over to where Olette was lying and laid down, placing her back where she had been before.

"-ally nice," Olette said, moving her head closer to his.

Roxas twisted his head to the left, seeing that the nearest couple had begun moving again.

"Roxas?"

He turned back to face her and smiled. Sliding down a bit, he leaned toward her and gently kissed her nose. Then he moved down to her lips, kissing her more passionately.

She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair.

_I love you, Olette, _he thought, too afraid to say it aloud. _And I'd do anything to get my best friend's memories back. _

***

Olette pulled away and smiled seductively at Roxas. "You know, onions and jalapenos are an excellent combination."

Roxas laughed. "Yeah. They do taste good together." He smiled and kissed her again, more intense than ever before.

_I thinking I'm falling in love with you,_ whispered Olette in her head, too afraid to say it out loud.

She didn't know what was more terrifying. The possibility of being rejected or falling so hard thst it would be impossible for things to ever be the same.

xXx

Olette sang along to the radio at the top of her lungs. She turned to Roxas, who seemed unable to concentrate on the road, he was laughing so hard.

"What?" Olette asked, knowing the answer already.

"You suck at singing," Roxas replied, smiling.

"I know," Olette responded, sounding proud.

Roxas took his eyes off the road and smirked at her.

"I climb so high. It blows me away sometimes," sang Olette, even louder than before.

"Who sings this?" Roxas asked turning back to the road.

Olette gasped jokingly. "You don't know who this is?"

"Apparently not," Roxas said.

"Thousand Foot Krutch; they're one of my favorite bands," answered Olette.

"Oh yeah. Demyx likes these guys. Aren't you guys doing your project on them?"

"Yup," she replied.

"Speaking of the project, when is it due?" Roxas asked.

"I think next week. Who are you and Fuu doing yours on?"

"Lostprophets," answered Roxas.

"I love that band!"

"Is there a band you don't like?" Roxas teased.

"Plenty. Don't get me started on those," Olette laughed.

"Wouldn't dare," he replied.

The car became silent then, with the exception of the radio. Olette reached over to turn it off as the song ended, transitioning into commercials.

"Thank you, Roxas. This was really great," Olette said.

"I had a good time too. Thanks for asking me out," Roxas replied, taking a second away from focusing on the road to smile at her.

"Only 'cause I knew you'd be too shy to do it yourself," she teased.

The corner of Roxas's mouth twitched downwards. He glanced at her quickly, his features contorted with confusion, before turning back.

"Sorry," Olette apologized, assuming he was angry at her comment.

"No. I know you're just teasing, but…" he trailed off.

"What?"

Still staring at the road he asked, "Olette do you know where you got the necklace you're wearing?

Olette lifted the turquoise charm up from her neck. "This? No. I found it with some of my old stuff from back when I was like thirteen. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering," he replied.

"I know it's not from another guy, if that's what you were implying," she said, watching carefully for his reaction.

He tensed up for a second, but said nothing.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Silence fell for a second time.

"So…?" she said after a minute.

"Huh?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to do something like this again," Olette gushed.

Roxas turned and faced her. His blue eyes brightened. "I would really like that." He paused for a second and continued, "In fact, I was, um wondering, if we were, um…" he stammered and quickly looked forward.

"Going steady?" Olette offered, trying to hide her amusement over his discomfort from her voice.

He nodded.

"You're not going to pin me, are you?" she joked.

Roxas smirked. "No."

"Yeah. I believe we are officially a couple then," she replied, beaming.

"Good," he stated.

Olette smiled. "Yeah. It is," she replied seriously.

Roxas pulled on to Olette's street. After parking next to the sidewalk he turned off the car engine and got out. He walked over to Olette's door and opened it for her.

"Thanks," she said, getting out.

Roxas slung his arm over her shoulder as the two of them made their way to the door.

"This was really great. Thank you so much," Olette said as they stood on the porch.

"I had a lot of fun too. It was a great evening," Roxas replied. He looked over at the windows before asking, "Your brother isn't going to be watching us and try to kill me with a baseball bat if I kiss you, is he?" Roxas joked.

"No. Leon was just giving you a hard time earlier. He's actually really nice when he's not being a moron," she laughed.

"Great. Then I guess I can do this." Roxas wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

He pressed his lips to hers, kissing her gently. Olette reached down and hooked her thumbs through his belt loops. Roxas kissed her more fervently.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" exclaimed a female voice.

Roxas and Olette jumped apart and turned their heads to where the front door was opened.

A petite girl with black hair in a pixie cut stood in the hallway, her hand on the door.

"What's the matter, Yuffie?" a voice called from behind her. Leon appeared in the doorway and put his arm around the girl.

"Oh. Hi, Olette. I didn't know when you'd be home so…" he began.

"You invited someone over? Are Mom and Dad home?" Olette asked, her eyebrows raised.

"They're at a party," Leon answered.

They all fell silent for a moment. That is, until Yuffie stepped on Leon's foot.

"Ow!" he exclaimed. Looking over at her he said, "Oh yeah. This is Yuffie. Yuffie this is my little sister Olette and her boyfriend."

"Hi," Yuffie said.

"Hello," Roxas and Olette replied.

Yuffie smiled at them and then looked over at Leon. "We probably should get going."

"Okay. Let me just grab my duffel bag," Leon replied.

Roxas and Olette moved to the side as Yuffie stepped out of the house.

"It was nice finally meeting you. Leon talks about you all the time."

"It's all terrible stuff," Leon said, exiting the house with his bag slung over his shoulder.

"He's lying," Yuffie laughed. "He's very sweet when it comes to you. It's really adorable."

"Leon? Sweet? You sure?" Olette teased.

"Shut up," Leon replied, smiling. He and Yuffie began walking to his truck. After opening the door for her and tossing his bag in the backseat, he yelled out, "No offense Roxas, but if you don't leave in the next five minutes after I've gone. I'm going to come right back and kick your ass!" He laughed, showing Roxas that he was only half serious.

"Don't worry. I'll be leaving soon," Roxas replied.

Leon waved and walked over to the driver's side of the car.

After he had pulled out of the driveway and was out of sight, Roxas turned back to Olette.

"So, I guess I'll see you at school on Monday?" he asked.

"Yup."

Roxas gave her one last sweet kiss, before walking back to his car and driving off.

Olette stood on the front step until he disappeared from view. She grinned to herself and stepped inside the house.

***

Roxas lay on his bed, reading. With the exception of someone's music playing down the hall, the mansion was silent.

The teenagers had woken up earlier in the morning to discover all but Marluxia were gone. Larxene had been brave enough to ask the already annoyed man where they had all had gone. Marluxia had simply rolled his eyes and told her she wasn't at liberty to know that.

"If anyone else had asked he'd have thorns stuck in their head," Demyx had whispered to Roxas after witnessing Marluxia not getting angry.

"Yeah. But, Larxene's always been his favorite," Roxas had replied.

Now everyone was relaxing, enjoying the free hours without the elders breathing down their necks.

Roxas looked up as someone knocked on his door.

"Hi. Can I come in?" asked Demyx.

Roxas nodded.

Demyx walked in and stopped at Roxas's dresser. He picked up a small black iPod lying there and began scrolling through the menu. "Man, you really need to get new songs on this."

"Thanks," Roxas replied sarcastically. "Now, what do you want?"

Demyx placed the iPod back on the dresser. "Just wondering how last night went."

"It was good," answered Roxas.

"Come, on. You got to tell me more than that."

"I didn't think you were one for gossiping," Roxas responded, smirking.

"Shut up. I just knew it was a big deal for you. Axel told me about your history with Olette."

"There's really not much to tell. We had a good time," Roxas replied. He paused and then added, "Hey, how did your date go? With the fan girl?"

"She's not a 'fan girl'; or at least ,she's a fan but, she isn't creepy. Actually, it was really nice. I'm going to ask her out again," Demyx said. He furrowed his brow. "I hope the freshman girls don't rip her apart from insane jealousy over me." He beamed, thinking of the imaginary cat fight.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Wait. I thought she _was_ a freshman."

Demyx snapped out of his day dream. "Oh, no. She's a junior. I'm not that big of a pervert."

"Says the guy who just a few seconds ago was picturing three freshman girls fighting over him."

"It was a nice image," Demyx sighed.

Roxas chuckled. "Now, can you get out? I want to finish this book."

"Sure. I have some songs I need to work on. Bye." He left the room, closing the door behind him.

Roxas opened up his book and tried to find his place. Another knock on his door interrupted him.

"Come in," he said, slightly irritated

Naminé opened the door and peeked in. "Is this a bad time?" she asked softly.

Roxas sighed and closed his book. "No. Come in."

Naminé opened the door wider and walked in. She stood there, unsure of where to sit. Roxas's desk chair was covered with dirty clothes, making the bed her only option.

Roxas sat up, pulling his legs under him and gestured to the foot of the bed, indicating that she could sit there.

Her pale cheeks turned pink, but she perched herself on the edge of the bed, as far away from Roxas as possible.

Roxas chuckled, but stopped when he realized it would probably hurt Namine's feelings. She blushed harder, but said nothing.

"So, what's up?" Roxas asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Naminé smiled meekly at him. "I have something important to tell you. If I'm right, then I think you'll be really happy."

"Is this what you tried to tell me before?"

She nodded. "Then it was just a theory, but now I'm surer."

"What is it?" he asked, more interested than before.

Namine's slight smile got bigger. "I think it's possible that Olette's memories are coming back to her."

Roxas's eyes widened. _What?!_ he thought. _That's incredible. I knew something was different about her. She…_ He stopped and shook his head.

"Naminé, you know that's not possible. But thanks for trying to make me feel better," he said.

"Roxas, it _is_ possible! Aren't you happy?" she asked.

She gasped as Roxas's face contorted in pain. A few tears escaped from his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away.

"What's wrong?"

"Why would you say those things? Get my hopes up like that," he replied harshly.

"Please, Roxas. I'm not just saying these things. It's possible. She _can _remember!"

"Get out!" he ordered, shaking.

"What's wrong with you?" she demanded.

Roxas gasped and began choking.

Naminé realized what was happening. She reached out and grabbed his hands. "Roxas, you have to control the darkness better. If you just ignore it, it'll destroy you. You can't just bury it. You need to fight it!"

Roxas stopped choking. He slowly breathed in and out until the shaking also stopped. Naminé released his hands from her grasp.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I think so. What the hell just happened? I just got so pissed all of sudden and I couldn't stop. Why does this keep happening at random moments?"

"I've told you before. If you keep letting it build it will eat at you," she replied.

"But I used it yesterday. I haven't been ignoring it. It's impossible to!"

"The darkness is getting stronger. It's mixing with your desires and fears. It's going to keep getting worse, until…" she broke off.

"Until what?"

She shook her head.

"You can't tell me?" he asked.

"Sorry," she whispered.

Roxas reached up and ran his fingers through his hair. Sighing, he said, "It's okay. Now, can you tell me why you think Olette is remembering?"

"Yes. Roxas, do you know how I manipulate people's memories?"

He shook his head.

"First I break apart the bonds that connect the memories. Well, they're actually more like chains, linking each separate memory with one another. Once the chains are broken I can create new ones and use those to mask over the old ones. Then I fasten the chains back together again. Rarely, and I really mean almost never, do the old memories hold such strong emotions that they break the chains connecting the fake ones. Slowly they trickle through the cracks, allowing the person to get flashes of them. I believe that's what has happened to your friend," she explained.

"Wait. So strong emotions break these fake memories?"

"Yes, that is why it is impossible to erase children from their parent's memories. There is too much love in those memories for a parent to forget their child. That's why the Organization kills everyone's…" she trailed off, sobbing.

Roxas moved closer to her and gently rubbed her shoulder, trying to pacify her.

"They wanted to kill Olette, because I told them how you felt about her and how she had seen you use your ability, but I promised them that her emotions were weak enough to cover up the memories of you. But, I couldn't erase you from your parents, and even if I physically could have, I wouldn't have. It was too cruel. So they murdered them, by plotting that car crash. They could have killed you in the process, but they chose take the risk anyway. Everyone's parents are dead because of me. And everyone's friends too," she blubbered.

"Naminé, this isn't your fault. Stop blaming yourself," Roxas said.

She gasped, trying to stop crying.

Roxas thought for a minute before saying, "Wait. Xemnas told me that if I had been recruited sooner, no one's parents would have died. He said that by you taking pity on me, you were able for the first time to completely rewrite someone's memories. But…"

"He was lying, Roxas, trying to anger you, so you'd snap. This isn't your fault it's mine," she replied.

"No. It's not. Naminé, you need to stop beating yourself up about this. You tell me all the time that the darkness isn't my fault. You need to take your own advice and realize that what those bastards do is not your fault."

"But so many people have died because of me. Zexion's, Demyx's, and Larxene's parents. Even Axel's dad is dead," she said.

"They are? I knew Zexion's parents were, but not the others."

Naminé nodded. "Every last one of them. Although Demyx and Larxene don't know it. The only parent to not die at the hands of the Organization was Axel's mom and that's 'cause she died of cancer when he was five."

Roxas looked down at the floor. "He never told me that," he whispered. Looking back up at Naminé, he asked, "If Olette's emotions are strong enough to remember me, then is there hope for Demyx? Will he ever remember his past?

"No," she answered sadly, "I never gave him new memories. I just broke the chains connecting his old ones. And I just can't reconnect them because his memories were shattered in the process. My ability wasn't as developed back then as it is now. Demyx will never know his past. And for that I am truly sorry."

She stood up from the bed. "See you later, Roxas. And thank you."

She walked over to the door and left, leaving Roxas alone.

Whoever's music that had been playing had stopped. The house was silent.

Roxas picked up his book and found his place. But no matter how hard he tried to focus, he was unable to.

Namine's visit had produced more questions than it had answered.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hoped you guys liked it!

Also, for those who don't know what "pinning" means, it was something they did back in the 50s, I believe. When a couple went steady, the boy would give the girl his school pin.

Happy Vexen month. (Even though I hate him.)

I already have the next chapter all typed up. As soon as my fantastic editor works her magic, I'll have it posted.

Please review! Makes me happy and when I'm happy my characters tend to be. Unless of course they're feeling angsty that day.

Have a great weekend! And thanks again!


	15. The Woods:O

Wow, it's been forever since I last updated. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I really appreciate it! Big thanks to my new editor translucency for summertime**. **You're awesome!!

Hope you guys enjoy my longest chapter! Sorry for the one filler part, I just wanted to include Zack somehow.

Enjoy!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_I had to catch him. If I didn't he'd disappear._

_Leaving me alone, once again._

_A tree branch grazed my cheek as I ran. The stinging cut brought tears to my eyes, but I didn't stop. I refused to stop._

_He was right up ahead. I could see the back of his messy blonde hair._

"_Roxas!" I called out._

_He slowed down to a complete stop. _

"_Roxas?"_

_Turning around, he smiled at me, looking amused._

"_You're going to have to better than that," he said, his eyes gleaming._

_I moved towards him, cautiously, afraid any second he would begin running again._

_His grin only grew wider. "So close, but yet so far." He cocked his head to the side and paused. "I can't figure it out," he said, his eyes turning black as he narrowed them at me. _

"_What?" I asked, still moving forward. _

_His black eyes were transfixed on mine. A shiver went down my spine as I stared back at them, terrified of how cold and malevolent they were. They were a stranger's eyes. Full of such strong hateful emotions, almost inhuman like. Something I'd never would expect to see in Roxas. All I wanted to do was to run away and pray I would never see anything so vile ever again._

_But despite all this, I kept moving towards him. Despite his callous eyes, nothing else had changed. His messy hair was sticking up in every direction possible, even defying gravity. His mouth was still the same, a warm smile spread across his face. His cheeks flushed, like the shy teenage boy he was. _

_The only thing different were the eyes. They were all wrong, destroying his beautiful face. _

_Still, I stepped closer._

"_I just don't understand. Everyone thought I was some weirdo, but not you," he continued, calmly. "After what I showed you, you still accepted me. Even now, you're unafraid of what you don't understand."_

_I took a one last step, bringing me mere inches away from him. Looking closer at his eyes, I realized they weren't pitch black, as I had thought, but instead were a very deep midnight blue with swirling bits of indigo. _

_They still held every ounce of malice as before. _

_I reached out and took his hand, lacing my fingers with his. He squeezed my hand, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, they were their normal brilliant blue. _

"_You're my light," he whispered in my ear. "You will help me conquer it." Pulling back, he grinned._

"_Conquer what?" I asked._

_Instead of answering, he let go of my hands and stepped back, gradually, until he was ten feet away. _

"_Please, don't leave me," I pleaded._

_His blue eyes soften, making him look more regretful than ever. _

"_I'm sorry, Olette. But I told you. You're so close, but still have a ways to go. You have to do better."_

_With that he turned around and began running away from me._

_I stood there, watching him vanish from sight. What was the point? I'd never be able to catch him. And despite all he told me there seemed to be some part of him that didn't want to be found. Why else would he be making this so damn difficult?_

"_Aren't you going to go after him?" asked a quiet voice from behind me._

_I knew who the voice belonged to, but I still turned around._

"_Olette?" Naminé asked. _

"_No matter, how fast I run, I'll never catch him," I croaked, saddened by this realization._

_I could feel warm tears trickling down my cheeks, but did nothing to wipe them away._

_Naminé shook her head. "Just give it time. The chains are breaking."_

"_You keep saying that! What chains?!" I shouted. _

_Why did everyone have to be so frustrating?_

_She merely shook her head and laughed daintily. "You two are so alike. Always wanting answers before it is your time to know them." She paused to smile encouragingly at me. "Go after him. Before it's too late."_

"_It's already too late. He's long gone," I argued, ignoring the pain that those words inflicted._

_Her slight smile twisted downwards. "You're giving up this early?" Shaking her head sadly she continued to stare at me, her face in disbelief. "You're just letting your fear prevent you. I'm disappointed in you." _

"_Of course I'm afraid. I'm never going to catch him. I-" I broke off in a sob._

"_That's not what I meant. I think what you really fear is knowing the truth. That's why you can't catch him. Not because he doesn't want to be caught, but because you're terrified of what lies ahead."_

"_That's not true-," I began, but I knew as soon as I had said the words, that Naminé was right._

_She smirked, something that seemed out of place on her shy, soft face. _

_She was right. Despite reassuring myself that I wanted to know the truth, deep down it scared me. _

"_Are you really going to let your fear of the unknown pull you away from Roxas?" she asked, voicing my own thoughts._

_With a determined shake of my head, I turned away from her and began running in the direction Roxas had gone. _

_She was right. I needed to find Roxas. Needed to know. Needed to be with him, even if it meant destroying my illusion that everything was normal. _

_I sped up, ignoring the branches that left stinging cuts on my face. My hesitance had given him an advantage, but I knew I would catch him._

_I ran for what felt like hours, never even catching a glimpse of him. _

_I stopped, accepting defeat._

_He was gone and I was left all alone. _

_I gasped for air, my lungs screaming out in agony._

_The tears streamed down my face now. Falling onto my knees, I cradled my head in my hands, trying to mask my sobs._

"_Please don't cry, Olette," soothed a soft voice. A voice I longed to hear._

_I frantically looked up._

"_Roxas?" I whispered._

_No reply came._

_I rose up from the cold, unkind ground. Something sparkled from the corner of my eye. I turned toward the glimmer I had seen._

_As I walked towards the glow peeking out thought the trees, I realized it wasn't just one thing producing the light that had captured my attention._

_I also saw that the light wasn't white. It looked greenish blue._

_In fact it was the exact same shade of my necklace._

_After a couple minutes I stepped out from the trees, into a clearing._

_Except exactly in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by immense amount of empty space, was a lonely tree._

_Its branches were completely bare of leaves or flowers, isolating it from those near it bursting with vibrant green life._

_The tree was also very short, compared to the others. It looked to only be twice my height._

_But what stunned me the most was not the shortness or even the lack of foliage._

_It was the hundreds of sparkling turquoise teardrop charms suspending from every branch by silver chains. The sun light shone through the translucent charms, basking the clearing in a soft, turquoise glow._

_I gaped at the tree, unable to comprehend how the necklaces had gotten there._

_A light breeze flittered through the woods. The charms clinked against one another, creating a pleasant chime throughout the clearing. _

_I closed my eyes and listened to the peaceful noise. The thought of Roxas's arms around me, keeping me safe, came to mind._

_I focused on that image and blocked everything else out. _

_The fear of never understanding what was happening. The horrible feeling of never being able to catch him, no matter how hard I try. Even those cold, cruel eyes. Everything forgotten._

_Everything, except how I feel when he's holding me._

"_I need you, Olette," he whispered in my ear, his arms suddenly around me._

_I breathed in deeply, the smell of his soap wafting through my noise._

"_I need you," he repeated, kissing me on the cheek._

_Opening my eyes, I stared at the tree holding the dazzling charms._

_Somewhere deep down, I knew my necklace wasn't some random thing I had found._

_Somehow, I knew it had to be connected to Roxas in some way._

_I sighed contently, as I continued looking at the tree, the breathtaking light illuminating from it._

_Roxas stood next to me, his arms still holding me to him. _

_I closed my eyes again, waiting for him to disappear like always. Knowing I'd be all alone again._

_But he remained by me, keeping me warm. _

_For once, nothing bad happen. It was just the two of us and the beautiful tree._

_Nothing more. _

xXx

Olette woke to the sound of birds chirping merrily. Letting out a content sigh, she turned on her side and looked at the clock. Her alarm clock would go off in about five minutes. Even though she wanted nothing more to fall back into her wonderful dream, she reached over and turned the alarm off before its horrid noise could disrupt her peaceful mood.

"Every day should start like this," she said to herself happily, getting up from the bed.

She went over to her closet and took her uniform off the hanger.

_I wish it was still Spirit Week, _she thought sadly, walking into her bathroom.

After a quick shower she got dressed and went down into the kitchen. For once she would be able to enjoy a whole cup of coffee before heading off to school.

As she waited for the coffee maker to be done she sat at the kitchen table, enjoying the quietness of the house. Today had been a late opening for the students of Twilight Academy due to teacher meetings. Because of this, Olette had been able to receive a few more hours of much appreciated sleep. Both her parents had already gone to work, and because Leon was currently at his dorm, she was the only one home.

Soon the kitchen was full of the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Olette got up from her chair and went over to the cabinet to find her favorite coffee mug.

"Damn it!" she cursed, as the cup slipped from her fingers and hit the ground.

She bent down and picked up the cup that luckily hadn't shattered. But, examining it she noticed it had been unfortunately chipped.

"Crapola," she said, walking over to the coffee maker. She filled the cup up with the strong smelling coffee and sat down at the table.

After, taking a tentative sip as to not burn her tongue, she sighed deeply.

"I loves coffee," she murmured to herself.

The telephone rang suddenly, causing her to jump.

"Ouch!" Coffee spilled over the cup onto her fingers. She quickly wiped it off on her blue skirt and got up to answer the phone.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hi, Olette," replied the voice on the other end.

Olette smiled to herself, instantly recognizing the voice.

"Hi, Roxas. What's up?"

"I was just wondering what time school started today. I know it's a late opening but what's the actual time?"

"Eleven," she answered. "Axel or Demyx didn't know?"

"Um," stammered Roxas.

Olette laughed lightly.

"What?" he asked.

"You don't need an excuse to call me. We are after all dating," Olette answered, smiling.

"Oh, yeah," he chuckled.

"You forgot?" she asked, feigning offense.

"No, I did not forget. It's that just I've never…" he trailed off.

Olette grasped what he was about to say. "That's so cute. You've never had a girlfriend before?"

She could picture Roxas's cheeks turning pink as she teased him.

"You could say that," he answered.

She wasn't sure if she had heard right, but it sounded as if he were disappointed. He tended to do that a lot whenever she was talking to him. One second he was all joking around and having fun and the next he sounded as if someone had just told him he'd been rejected from a college he badly wanted to attend. He often switched gears so quickly. It confused her.

"Sorry, Olette, but I got to go. Xaldin is yelling about something from downstairs and I believe that it's best that I go hide out somewhere safe. I'll see you later," Roxas said.

"Okay, bye."

Olette hung up the phone and sat back down at the kitchen table. She was about to pick up her coffee cup to take another sip, when she felt a searing pain in her head.

xXx

_Thunder cracked from above, lightening shattering the darkened sky_

"_Come on, Olette. We need to hurry," Roxas yelled over the loud, pouring rain, from a few feet in front of me._

"_I'm running as fast as I can," I replied breathlessly. I could feel myself shaking, the rain penetrating through my clothes, soaking me. My turquoise necklace banged against my throat with each leap I took._

_Roxas laughed, clearly not as tired out as I was. "I love thunderstorms. Don't you?" _

"_Yes, but only when I'm watching from a safe distance, like inside my house."_

_Roxas chuckled again. "You mean you don't enjoy being caught in one?" he shouted back._

"_Ha. Ha," I responded, slowly down to a complete stop. "Sorry, but I need a break." _

_From a few feet up ahead Roxas stopped. He turned around and walked back to me._

"_You okay?" he asked, concerned._

_I bent over and clutched my knees, trying to revive my lungs._

"_Olette?"_

_I looked up at those blue eyes of his and smiled. "I'm fine. Just need to catch my breath."_

_He grinned back. "Take your time. I don't mind the rain."_

_His usually gravity-defying hair was plastered to his head, dripping wet. Also drenched, was his plain black t-shirt, now clinging to his chest._

"_Olette?" he repeated._

_I blushed and looked away, realizing I had been staring. I couldn't help it lately. Something in my brain had flipped a few weeks ago, making me notice Roxas more. How his smile made me happier, no matter what crappy mood I was in. And how I daydreamed about what it would feel like for him to hug me as more than just a friend. _

_Shaking my head to clear away thoughts of him and his almost scary, they were so stunning eyes, I stood up straight. As I surveyed my surroundings, I saw that everything, from the trees to even us, was dripping water. It would have been a pretty sight, if not for the whole being freezing cold and having the fear of being struck by lightening. _

_I looked back at Roxas, noticing that he was watching me. _

"_Everything okay?" I asked, worried by the sad expression on his face._

_His eyes focused on to mine and he smiled. But it was one of those smiles that didn't reach his eyes. _

"_Something's wrong. I can tell. Does it have something to do with that power of yours?" _

_He shook his head. "No. Nothing new has happened with that. It's just that…" he trailed off and stared at the ground._

_I took a step closer to him. "What's wrong? You can tell me."_

_Thunder cracked from above, causing us to jump. We both laughed, amused by each other's expressions of shock._

"_We better get going," Roxas said, beginning to turn away. _

_But I reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him back around._

"_Olette," he responded, in an almost annoyed tone. "Your parents are going to kill me, if we don't get back soon. And I don't even want to think about what your brother will do."_

"_Leon? He could care less about me. It doesn't matter anyways, 'cause I'm not leaving until you tell me what's bothering you."_

_He let out a frustrated sigh. "I forgot how unbelievably stubborn you are."_

_I just merely smiled sweetly at him._

_He rolled his eyes, but continued talking, "Olette," pausing he closed his eyes, as if he were thinking about what he was going to say. Finally after a minute of watching his face screwed up as if he as debating with himself he gushed out, "I like you." He opened his eyes, in order to gauge my reaction._

"_Oh," I replied, fully understanding he wasn't just talking about liking me as a friend. I tried to act calm, but it was almost impossible. I felt as if one of those bolts of lighting in the sky had just come down and struck me._

"_Yeah," he said, sounding as if he had regretted opening his mouth in the first place._

"_Then I guess it's a good thing that I like you too."_

_His eyes widened and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but quickly closed it. I smirked and walked around him, heading toward the direction of home._

"_Olette?" he asked, from behind._

"_Yes?" I said, turning around to face him._

_He came up to me and stared into my eyes, searching for the answers he wanted. I felt that familiar shiver go up my spine that occurred whenever he set his brilliant blue eyes on me._

"_You do understand that I have a crush on you, right?"_

_I nodded. "And I have a crush on you. Have for a little while, but was too afraid of what you thought."_

_His blue eyes widened once again and a flush crept over his cheeks. He grinned at me, a smile spreading across his face._

_I smiled back, waiting for him to do something more than just grin at me like an idiot. _

_After all, I had just recently finished one of my romantic comedy books and my sense of reality was still hindered by the delusion that everything happened perfectly._

_Roxas looked away towards the direction of home, causing my hopes to crumple. "Let's get out of here," he said, while laughing. "I'm reading to curl up with a good book by a blazing fire."_

"_Oh, okay," I replied, hoping he didn't hear the faint disappointment in my voice. We began walking again._

_Finally after a few minutes of silence we reached the edges of the woods, both of our houses visible from where we stood._

"_I guess I'll see you later," I said, beginning to head toward my house._

"_Wait!" Roxas called out, running up from behind to grab my arm._

_I turned around, to look at him._

"_What-?" I started to ask._

_His nose collided with mine as he bent his head down to try to kiss me._

"_Ow!" We yelled in unison, jumping back slightly._

"_Sorry," he said, turning bright red. "I just thought that you, um, might. You know?"_

_I laughed nervously. His cheeks turned redder. _

"_I've got to go," he said quickly, turning around toward his house. _

_I watched him as he began to walk away with his shoulders slumped, furious at myself for laughing at him. The disappointment of the lost moment washed over me, making me even more miserable._

"_I'm sorry," I whispered, even thought I knew he probably couldn't hear me over the thunder and rain._

_He stopped walking. Straightening up he twisted back around to face me, a look of determination in his bright eyes. _

_I stood motionless as he jogged back to me.._

"_Roxas, I'm so sorry," I gushed, the moment he was standing inches away. _

_He smiled at me and reached out his hand to my chin. Lifting it upwards with one finger he gently pulled me towards him. He bent his head down, his lips meeting mine. _

_We stood there together kissing, not caring about anything else._

_Rain poured down from the sky and dripped from our hair and bodies. Our soaked clothes were sticking to our skin, making us shiver. _

_But Roxas merely wrapped his arms around me, and all but that kiss, was forgotten._

xXx

Olette clutched the side of her head as the image faded away. The sharp intense pain in her head, going with it. She gripped her coffee cup, noticing her hands were shaking.

"Calm down," she attempted to sooth herself out loud.

But as hard as she tried, she was unable to dismiss her fear that she was going insane.

"Impossible! None of that really happened. You didn't know him back then. Olette, you need to get a grasp on reality." She shook her head slowly. "Great, now I'm talking to myself. Bad sign. Need to stop."

Standing up, she walked over to the sink and poured her coffee out. She grabbed her backpack from off the living room sofa and left the house, locking it behind her.

_You're not crazy. Just need to stop eating junk food before bed. And maybe lay off the caffeine, _she thought while walking to the bus stop.

As usual she was the first one there. Sometimes she hated standing out on the corner all alone, but today she welcomed it. There was no one around to see her all jumpy. Her hands were still continuing to shake. Finally she decided to stick them in her jacket pockets.

_I'm not crazy, s_he told herself firmly.

"Hi Olette!"

Olette jerked her head toward the source of the voice.

"Hi, Jessie," she replied to petite blonde girl walking up to her.

"I wish every day began this late! Don't you?" exclaimed Jessie.

Olette smiled at her and nodded. She was kind of hoping someone else would arrive soon and distract Jessie. It wasn't as if she wasn't a nice girl, it was just that Olette wasn't in the mood to talk to someone so perky.

"So, I hear you're going out with the blonde hottie with those incredible eyes," Jessie said, sounding as chipper as ever.

"Where did you hear that?" Olette asked, not unkindly.

"Oh come on, Olette!" Jessie replied, giggling, "Yuna totally saw you two on Saturday all snuggled up to each other. Good choice, by the way. He might be a little strange and anti-social, but whoa is he gorgeous!"

"Um, thanks," Olette responded.

Jessie grinned at her. "You're welcome." Then softening her voice she added, "Oh, and that horrible rumor about well, you know what, I totally didn't believe it. I heard that it was that Kairi girl who spread it. She is such a-" Jessie paused and looked around as if to make sure no one was near, "-a bitch," she finished, whispering.

"Thanks, Jessie."

"Sure, no problem. Oh look! Alice is coming this way. Talk to you later!" With that Jessie turned and ran over to another blonde girl. The two of them began chatting, ever so merrily.

Olette let out a quiet sigh of relief. Right now all she wanted to do was to go back to sleep and forget her whole seeing-things-that-never-happened problem.

After a couple minutes more people showed up. Everyone was talking and laughing all around her. She stood there all alone, watching the road for the bus to pull up. It finally did and everyone clambered on.

Olette walked to the very back of the bus where her usual seat was. She sat down and pulled out her book, hoping to get a few more pages in before arriving at school.

For a few minutes she forgot all about her troubles and worries about going crazy, while she engrossed herself in her fantasy novel.

She was forced to come back to reality though, as the bus pulled into the school parking lot. Getting off the bus, she immediately walked over to the spot where she sat every morning with Hayner, Pence, and now Roxas. To her surprise, it was vacant.

_Guess I'm the first here,_ she thought sitting down.

The courtyard was full of people enjoying the warm weather. Spring had come, allowing the flowers to bloom and trees to once again be bursting with life. Olette slipped her arms out of her jacket, no longer needing it to keep her warm.

She leaned her head against the trunk of the tree, not caring that it might make her hair dirty. Again, she reached into her backpack and pulled out her book, wanting something to prevent her mind from thinking about the latest weird occurrence that had happened in her kitchen.

Just as she was about to dive into a world of magic and adventure, she heard someone calling her name. Looking up, she saw Pence jogging toward her, his camera around his neck.

"Hi," she greeted, putting her book down on the grass.

"Hey, Olette," Pence replied, standing in front of her.

"Are you gonna sit?" she asked, smiling.

"Sorry, but I came over here to tell you I have a meeting for the paper before school starts."

"Oh, okay. Guess I'll see you later then," she said.

"Yeah. I also came over to tell you Hayner won't be here today either. He's still suspended," Pence stated.

"Really? For how much longer?"

"I think just today. But the point is, I feel bad leaving you all by yourself," Pence explained, looking apologetic.

Olette smiled at him. "It's no problem. Roxas will probably be here soon. But thanks for caring about me."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about him. Are you guys dating or something? " he asked.

"Yup."

Pence grinned. "He seems nice. You deserve a really great guy, Olette. If he hurts you though, just tell me and I'll tell Hayner to beat him up for you," he said, jokily.

"Thanks, but I think I'm good. He's a really great guy."

"That's good. Anyways, I got to go. Bye." He waved before turning around and leaving.

Olette picked up her book and began reading again.

"Is that any good?" asked someone, after a few minutes.

Olette looked up to see Axel. He grinned at her, his green eyes gleaming.

"Yeah, it's good. Do you read a lot?" she asked.

"Nah," he answered, sitting down across from her. "But I do know someone who is practically glued to a book all the time. Well, that is when he's not attached to a certain girl of his."

Olette leaned over to put her book in her backpack, hoping to hide the blush that had just crept up onto her cheeks.

Axel snickered. "He should be here soon. He's just dropping something off to a teacher."

She grinned at him. "So, how was your weekend?"

"Nothing special," he replied, smiling warmly. But Olette got the suspicion he was lying. "How was yours?" he asked, his smile turning more into a Cheshire Cat-like grin.

"It was good," she said, feeling her cheeks warm up again.

"I bet."

"Where's Demyx?" she asked, changing the subject. Axel smirked at her, fully aware of her intentions.

Axel shrugged. "Probably with his new girlfriend. She's the red-haired junior from his little fan club."

"Seriously?" Olette laughed.

"Yup. Apparently she's only a tiny bit weird compared to the other girls who fawn over him."

"That's cool that he found someone," she replied.

"He's ecstatic. But slightly terrified."

"Why?"

Axel chuckled. "One thing is that he's never really had a girlfriend. And two, he's afraid his freshman fans are going to go ballistic when they realize he's taken."

"I'm sure they're not actually that extreme," Olette replied, laughing. "I'm mean, no offense to Demyx or anything, but he's not that big of a rock star."

"He certainly acts like one sometimes," said a voice.

Olette looked up, grinning at the person now leaning against the tree.

"Hi, Roxas."

"Hi," he replied, sitting down next to her.

"If you guys start getting all mushy, I'm gonna leave," remarked Axel.

Olette looked away from Roxas and glanced over at Axel, who was smirking.

"So, you mean I can't do this?" she asked, turning back to Roxas and kissing him squarely on the mouth.

Roxas jumped, clearly not expecting her to do that, but kissed her back immediately after his shock had worn off. The two of them broke apart and looked over at Axel, matching smug smiles on their faces.

Axel merely rolled those bright green eyes of his. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"Don't worry, Axel. We won't make you uncomfortable," Roxas replied, putting his arm around Olette's shoulders.

"Oh, that's okay. No need to burden yourselves," Axel said sarcastically, but he smiled warmly at them.

Olette felt Roxas stiffen from next to her.

"You okay?" she asked, turning her head to look at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, smiling. However his melancholic eyes, contradicted the faint grin.

"You sure?" Axel questioned slowly, as if he didn't quite believe him.

"I'm fine," Roxas repeated, sounding as if he was trying to not be irritated.

"Roxas-?" Olette began.

"Olette, it's okay, I'm fine," he stated softly. He smiled at her again, this time more convincingly, but it still seemed forced to her.

"Must be that time of the month, I guess," Axel joked.

Roxas chuckled and picked up a small stick nearby, throwing it at Axel.

"See what I mean?" Axel laughed.

Olette giggled and turned to grin at Roxas. From the corner of her eye she thought she saw Axel shooting him a worried glance, but by the time she turned her full attention to him, he was smiling.

They talked for a few more minutes, before getting interrupted by the bell. Standing up, Roxas reached for Olette's hand and laced his fingers with hers. Together, with Axel, they walked across the yard and up the stairs into the school.

The hallway was crowed as students rushed to be on time to their classes. Roxas and Olette dropped their hands, figuring it would be easier to move their way through the sea of teenagers. Instead they walked by each other silently, unable to hear one another over the bustle of other students.

After turning and traveling down another hallway, this one quieter than the last, they were able to talk.

"So, you're absolutely sure, that you're okay?" Olette asked Roxas, still concerned over his weird behavior.

He grinned at her, this time looking genuine. "I'm really great," he answered before leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. "You don't need to worry about me," he added, pulling away.

She returned his smile and began scanning the numbers above the doors for her class. She'd been at Twilight Academy for a while now, but still checked the room numbers before entering a classroom, just in case.

Looking away from the endless row of rooms, she glanced back at Roxas. Axel was whispering something to him, but he was talking so quietly Olette couldn't hear the actual words. Roxas shook his head, his lips turned downwards into a frown.

_Something is definitely wrong. Why won't he tell me? Ugh! Why do all guys feel the need to be so cryptic? _she thought.

She looked back over to the doors, seeing that her classroom was next.

"That's mine. I'll see you guys later," she said to Axel and Roxas.

"Bye, Olette," they both replied. Roxas kissed her goodbye softly on the cheek..

She waved and broke off from the group.

"It's getting worse," she heard Roxas say angrily to Axel, as she stepped inside the classroom.

xxx

Olette tapped her fingers impatiently on her desk. Glancing at the clock for what felt like the hundredth time, she saw that there was still fifteen minutes left till the bell rang.

All her class work had been finished, leaving her with nothing to do. Except the option to read of course, but after spending the last hour and a half studying and analyzing copies of historical documents, the last thing she felt like doing was something that involved more reading. If only Hayner was there, she could talk quietly to him. But unfortunately he was still suspended.

_Damn substitutes, _Olette thought.

The moment she had stepped inside the classroom and saw the words _Mr. Fair _scribbled messily on the blackboard, she knew she was in for a period of extreme boredom. Unlike her, though the other students, especially the girls, had cheered when they saw the substitute. For the guys, it meant an entire class of goofing off. The girls had dropped their jaws almost to the floor when they saw the young, blue-eyed substitute.

Their actual teacher was at some conference, leaving the class to deal with an unprepared, still in college substitute. Sure the guy was really nice and able to relate to them better, due to his closeness in age, but it was still sort of a nuisance.

After all, he wasn't really qualified to really teach yet, so instead the class was stuck doing numerous worksheets. And because their normal teacher would collect them once she got back, Olette and the others couldn't blow doing the work off.

The majority of the class was finished with their work and was chatting. The substitute was laughing at something one of the girls in the class had told him. He saw Olette looking at him and flashed her a smile. She smiled back, noticing the girl he had been talking to was now glaring daggers at her.

Olette looked away and began rummaging through her backpack to get her book, realizing her only options were to read or sit there doing nothing. Liking the former option better, she took out her book and read.

"What are you reading?" asked a voice, a few minutes later.

Olette glanced up and saw the substitute standing in front of her desk. He smiled warmly at her.

"Elantris," she answered, showing him the cover.

"Can I read the back?"

Olette nodded and handed him the book. After reading the summary he gave it back to her.

"Sounds interesting," he said.

"I really like the author," she replied, being polite. She kind of wished he'd go away so she could get back to her book. Yes, he was nice and cute, but unlike some girls she was realistic and knew nothing good could come out of drooling over a teacher. Not to mention she already had a boyfriend. She was sure the sub was just being friendly and wasn't actually flirting with her or the other girls, but she still wished he'd use his gorgeous smile on someone else.

Unfortunately for her, he didn't seem to take the hint, when she opened her book up again.

"You're name's Olette Hart right?" he questioned, looking at the clipboard he was holding with the seating chart on it.

"Yup," she answered, still sweetly despite wanting nothing more than to return to her book, where an intense battle scene had just begun.

"You wouldn't have a brother named Leon, would you?"

"Yeah. Do you know him?"

"Yeah. We both go to the same college. He's a freshman right?" he asked.

Olette nodded. Then suddenly recalling something Leon had mention a while ago she said, "Is your first name Zack? 'Cause I believe my brother's mentioned you before. You belong to some fraternity house and he went to one of your guys' parties."

"Yup. He's a cool guy. Too bad he didn't rush," responded Zack.

Olette laughed. "I can't picture Leon as a frat boy. No offense," she added.

Zack grinned. "None taken."

"Are you a senior?"

"Yeah. I'm working on getting my teaching degree and because I used to go to this school they're allowing me to sub for a little while. I get the experience and some money in my pocket, so it's a pretty sweet deal," he answered. Then looking at the clock he said, "Bell's gonna ring in about ten seconds. It was nice talking to you Olette."

"You too," she replied, before he walked back to the teacher's desk.

Just then the bell rang. Olette put her book back into her backpack and left the room, heading to her next class.

xXx

After Olette's AP Literature class was lunch. Like everyday she headed straight to the courtyard adjacent to the cafeteria. Pence was sitting under their usual tree, eating an ice cream cone.

"Hi." He greeted once he saw her.

"Hey. What's up?" Olette asked, sitting down.

"Nothing," he replied, munching merrily on his treat.

"How'd the meeting go?"

"Just normal paper stuff. Anything new with you?" he questioned, taking an enormous bite of the cone.

Olette was about to open her mouth to answer, but she was interrupted by someone plopping themselves down next to her.

"Mind if I sit here?" Roxas asked.

"Sure, man," Pence said. He finished his ice cream with another bite. "I'll be right back. I need to get a soda. You guys want anything?"

Roxas and Olette both muttered a "no thank you".

"So how's it going?" Roxas asked, pulling a brown paper bag out of his backpack. He started pulling his lunch items out, which consisted of an apple, a sandwich of some kind, and a can of Dr. Pepper.

"Can I see that for a sec?" Olette asked as Roxas picked up the soda can, about to open it.

"Sure?" he replied confused, handing it to her.

Olette smiled and took the can. She slipped her finger underneath the pop top and pulled, opening it. The soda made a fizzing noise as the carbon dioxide escaped. She handed the soda back to the still puzzled Roxas.

"And the point of that was?" He asked, a mixed expression of confusion and amusement on his face.

"I like the noise it makes," explained Olette, as if it was obvious.

"Okay, then" he laughed.

"You sure picked a weird one, Roxas."

The two of them both jumped slightly as Axel sat down next to Roxas.

"Shit, man!" Roxas laughed. "Do you always have to do that?"

Axel shrugged and gave them a cocky smile. "It's fun."

Olette rolled her eyes at him.

"Sorry I took so long," said Pence coming up from behind them. "The line was long. Oh, hi Axel." He took his seat, leaning up against the tree again.

"Hey."

Just then the wind picked up, creating goosebumps all up and down Olette's arm. Roxas slung his right arm around her shoulders.

"That better?" he asked, grinning at her.

"Actually wouldn't your jacket make you warmer?" Pence said naively, pointing at it.

"Yes it would, but I think she prefers the Roxas option better," Axel stated, smirking.

"Oh," Pence replied. He shivered as another breeze swept through the courtyard. Digging inside his backpack, he took out his own jacket and put it on.

"This is the one thing I hate about spring. It can never decide whether or not it wants to be cold or warm. Actually, Roxas I think I need my jacket," Olette stated. She picked up her jacket and began slipping it on. Roxas removed his arm, replacing it once she had both arms in the jacket.

"Now, I'll definitely be warm," she said.

Roxas smiled at her, his eyes looking brighter than usual.

"Aren't you cold, Axel?" Pence asked.

While both Pence and Olette were wearing jackets and Roxas had his sleeves rolled down, Axel sat there with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, not shivering at all.

"Axel never gets cold," answered Roxas, before taking a big bite out his apple.

Suddenly he tore away his arm from Olette.

"You okay?" she asked, surprised by his sudden movement.

"I'm fin-"

"Roxas?!" Axel, Pence and Olette shouted, as Roxas began gasping for air.

"Raise your hand if you're choking," directed Pence.

Roxas keeled over, clutching his arms around his chest.

"Roxas!" yelled Axel, sounding terrified.

"Somebody get the nurse!" Olette shouted, looking at the large groups of people eating lunch nearby.

They all stared back at her, bewildered.

"Go!" she commanded. Two girls jumped up and ran inside the building.

"No don't," croaked Roxas looking up at her, his chest still to his knees. His face was contorted with pain and his eyes were no longer bright, they looked desolate.

"Roxas, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Olette asked, trying not to let him hear the panic in her voice. She could feel her heartbeat increasing with every tension filled second.

He sat up straight again, still holding his arms around his chest. "I don't feel well. I think I need to go to the nurse's."

Axel helped Roxas stand up as he wobbled to his feet.

Olette stood up also, prepared to take him to the nurse's office.

"No, it's okay. I got him," Axel said, slinging his arm around Roxas's waist to prevent him from falling. He took Roxas's arm and put it over his shoulder.

"I'll be alright, Olette," Roxas stated, seeing her concerned expression. "I'll call you later."

"I hope you're okay," she replied.

He grinned at her. "It takes a lot to keep me down. Please don't trouble yourself by worrying about me."

Olette stepped up to him and kissed him lightly on the lips. He smiled at her one last time, before he and Axel turned around and headed inside the school.

She watched the two of them go, hearing the blood pounding in her ears. Roxas wasn't telling her something and she had a sinking feeling that whatever it was, he would never tell.

xXx

Olette stared up at the ceiling, listening to music. Her homework was lying on the bed next to her, half finished. She'd had been unable to concentrate on it, due to the events that had passed earlier in the day.

Roxas had yet to call her. And no matter how badly she didn't want to be one of those girls who obsessed over why their boyfriend hasn't called, she couldn't stop worrying. Hopefully the reason he hadn't phoned was that he was resting, getting better.

Olette sighed and closed her eyes. Focusing on the soft song currently playing, she tried to stop replaying today's lunch scene over again in her head. It was almost impossible to forget though. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was the expression on Roxas's face.

So much pain. Never, not even in her dreams, had she seen him look that way.

She snapped her eyes open, unable to rid herself of the image of his eyes.

So alone, so scared.

In fact she almost preferred the ones from her dreams. The ones that were dark and cruel. Anything would have been better than whatever had caused his blue eyes to hold such agony.

Feeling something wet on her cheeks, she reached up to touch her face. A single tear had escaped from her eyes.

_Great! I'm crying. Need to stop thinking about it. He'll be fine,_ she thought, rolling over onto her stomach. After pushing her notebook and textbook of the bed, she pulled the covers up over her head. Not caring that it was already six, a bit late for napping, she closed her eyes and wished for sleep to come.

xXx

_If only the world would swallow up and eat me. How could I be so incredibly stupid?_

_Why, Olette? Why chose today of all days to be brave? No, it wasn't bravery. It was just stupidity._

_You knew he didn't like you, yet you listened to your friends anyways. Dumb, dumb friends._

_No, that's not fair. They care about you. They wanted to help._

_Still, they royally screwed up. _

_Wiping my tears, I tried to sniffle back my sobs. At least, now I know he doesn't like me. _

_Because I know the truth, I can stop picturing us together. My pathetic fantasies._

_I pulled my knees closer to my chest, hugging them tighter._

"_Are you okay?" _

_I looked up seeing that blonde haired kid from my history class, standing in front of me, looking concerned. He was the boy with the electric eyes that seemed to dazzling to be real. The boy everyone ignored. The one everyone thought was different. I had talked to him a few times, not caring that everyone told me what a freak he was. I hated excluding people. But I couldn't remember his name. He probably didn't even know mine, or even remember that we had spoken before._

"_Are you okay?" he repeated._

"_I'm fine," I snapped harshly, wanting him to go away and let me wallow in my misery._

_He didn't even flinch at the acid in my voice. To my shock, he smiled at me._

"_It doesn't look that way to me," he said, softly. "But I understand you probably don't want to tell your problems to me. After all the only thing you know about me is that I'm the class loner who would rather read than face people."_

_His face conveyed nothing but friendliness and honesty. Again, he shocked me. It was obvious he knew what people thought about him, yet he didn't seem the least bit bothered,_

"_I'm sorry," I whispered. "You're just being nice and I'm being rude."_

"_It's okay. You're upset. Even sweet girl get a little sour when upset," he replied. "May I sit?" he asked._

_I nodded, sniffling again._

"_My name's Roxas, in case you forgot," he stated, still smiling._

"_I'm Ol-"_

"_Olette. Yeah. I know. We've talked before. You also like to read."_

_I nodded again. For some reason it made me happy that he remembered me. I don't know why, but it just did._

"_I know this isn't the best time, but I just wanted to thank you," he said._

"_Thank me?" I asked._

"_Yup. You're the only one who's really talked to me. I've been here for two months and with the exception of you, everyone's avoided me."_

"_I'm sorry," I replied, not really knowing what else to say._

_He smiled gently. "That's okay." He paused, "You've stopped crying."_

_I touched my face, feeling only the few tears that had lingered on my cheeks, but nothing else. _

"_I guess so. Thank you." I smiled at him._

_His cheeks turned pink and he looked down and began fiddling with his shoe laces. Peeking back up at me from under his blonde eyelashes he asked, "Is it okay if I asked you why you were crying?"_

"_It's stupid. You'll just laugh at me," I answered._

"_No, I won't," he promised, staring straight into my eyes. I felt my heart speed up as those eyes of his locked onto mine. They were so caring and trustworthy, that before I realized what was happening, I was telling him the cause of my tears. _

"_I told the guy I have, sorry mean _had_, a crush on, that I liked him. And to no one's surprised he told me that he only thought of me as a science partner, nothing else. Not even a friend, but someone who helps him pass Biology." I felt my throat tighten up as I explained to Roxas, but at the same time I felt relieved. It was a strange sensation sharing my feelings with someone I barely knew. _

_It must be that face of his. Those blue eyes made me want to spill everything to him. _

"_He's an ass," he responded._

_I looked at him, surprised._

_He chuckled. "Sorry. I shouldn't curse, I know."_

_I smiled at him. "That's okay. I do it all the time. What you said was surprising though."_

"_That what's-his-name is an idiot for not wanting to be your boyfriend, let alone your friend."_

"_Baltheir," I replied._

"_Huh?" _

"_The ass's name," I said, smiling, "It's Baltheir," _

"_Well, he's a moron."_

"_You're just saying that," I responded._

"_No, Olette, I mean it," Roxas said, frankly._

_To his astonishment, and my own, I let go of my knees and threw them around his neck, hugging him. _

_He wrapped his arms around me, and hugged me back. After a few seconds, we let go._

_Glancing around, I saw that the sky had begun to darken. _

"_I need to get home."_

"_Yeah, me too."_

_We both stood up._

"_Roxas, what were you doing out here anyway?"_

_On the verge of breaking down into tears, on my way home from school I had run into the woods and collapsed under a tree, embracing the tears. I hadn't wanted to go home and have to answer the endless questions I knew my parents would ask once they saw my blotching, wet face. Even though I had never been in the woods before, I had taken the risk of getting lost, to receive some quiet. _

"_I came in here to read," he answered. "My backyard is right near the edge of the woods and I go here to be alone."_

"_Oh. My backyard also faces the woods," I replied._

"_Which house is it? he asked._

"_It's the white one with the porch and blue shutters."_

"_That's two houses to the right of mine," he said._

"_That's awesome! I've never had a friend live so close!" I exclaimed._

_His bright blue eyes widened._

"_What?" I asked confused. _

"_It's just that, um…"_

_Realizing what I had said to make him react that way, I reached out and grabbed his hand. _

_He turned bright red as his eyes grew wider._

"_You're my friend Roxas. No one else had ever done what you did today. I really appreciate it. It meant a lot to me."_

"_It wasn't a big deal, I just heard someone crying. And then I saw that it was you," he babbled, shyly._

"_Thank you, Roxas." _

_I stared into his eyes, all thoughts of what's-his-name gone. Just by looking at Roxas's face, I knew we would become best friends._

xXx

Someone was shaking her gently, saying her name.

"Olette, sweetie, wake up."

"Ugrrrrgh" she grumbled.

"Olette, there's a nice young man downstairs, wanting to talk to you"

Olette opened her eyes, seeing her mom standing over her. "What?" she asked, still in the state between sleep and wakefulness.

"A boy named Roxas wants to speak to you," her mother explained.

Olette sat up so fast she bonked into her mom's face.

"Sorry!"

Her mom laughed. "It's okay. I'll go tell him that you'll be down in a few minutes." With that she left the room.

Olette checked her clock, seeing it was only seven. She got off her bed and went into her bathroom to grab her bush and detangle her hair. Then, she headed out to the hallway and down the stairs into the living room.

Roxas sat on the couch, staring at his shoes. Olette was reminded of how he had looked in her bizarrely realistic feeling dream she had just had. Pushing the dream to the back of her mind, she coughed lightly, letting him know she was there.

He looked up from his shoes and smiled. Despite his usually bright eyes, seeming dull and tired, he looked normal.

"Are you okay?" she asked quickly.

"I'm fine, Olette," he replied softly, standing up to hug her.

She let out a breath of relief as his arms wrapped around her body. She hugged him back, tightly, not wanting to let go. But after standing there for a few minutes, he loosened his arms and pulled back.

"Olette, I know you want an explanation," he began.

But Olette cut him off, "I understand. You don't need to tell me. It's not like I don't have secrets of my own."

_Like the fact I keep seeing things that never happened, _she added inside her head.

Roxas shook his head. "You have to know, that I wish I could tell you, but I just can't. At least not now. Maybe I will be able to someday, but right now it's impossible."

"That's okay. You can tell me when you're ready."

She stepped up to him and kissed him, slipping her tongue into his mouth. He kissed her back, just as passionately, as he enclosed her in his arms.

"Hmm."

The two pulled away from each other, looking for the source of the noise.

"I'm guessing your dad?" Roxas said, looking over her shoulder, his eyebrows raised.

Olette turned around, seeing her father standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"So, you're the young man, my little girl's dating?" her dad asked friendly , walking toward them.

"Yes, sir," Roxas replied. "I'm Roxas, sir," he added, extending out his hand.

Olette's dad took it and shook. "Nice to finally meet you."

Olette glanced at Roxas who was smiling slightly. To her dad, it just looked like he was being nice, but to Olette it looked as if he were enjoying a private joke.

"Nice to meet you too, sir," Roxas replied.

"Please, just call me Mr. Hart."

"Yes, Mr., Hart."

Her dad smiled. "Guess I'll go help your mother make dinner," he said to Olette. "Will you be staying for dinner, Roxas?"

"Thanks, for the offer, but I need to go. I just stopped by to let Olette know I'm okay, " Roxas answered.

"Maybe another time then?"

Roxas nodded. "That'd be great. Thanks, Mr., Hart."

"No problem, young man," Olette's dad said. With one last smile he turned and left.

"So, you have to go?" Olette asked, disappointed, as they walked into the hallway toward the door.

Roxas nodded. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, though."

"You sure you're-?

Roxas raised his hand in the air. "I'm great, Olette." He kissed her sweetly one last time, before walking out the door.

Olette watched from the door as he walked to Axel's truck. He waved back to her as he opened the car door.

With that, he was gone. Olette closed the front door and went back up the stairs to her room. She laid down on the bed and tried to rationalize her latest dream.

It was true that back at the end of seventh grade, she had told the boy she had a crush on, how she felt about him. Rejected, she had been upset. But, it hadn't been Roxas to console her. She also remembered going into the woods behind her house to cry. Her friends had found her and reassured her that Baltheir was a jerk.

_Wait, that doesn't make sense though, _she thought. _My friends didn't go into those woods. They were too afraid. Why would they have looked for me there? _

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that her dream made more sense that what she actually remembered. Well, Roxas being there didn't make sense.

Shutting her eyes she tried to picture her summer going into eighth grade. Details were blurry, but the logical side of her brain was positive she had never met Roxas before moving to Twilight town.

xXx

_But, he just feels right. Like, those empty spaces in my memory should be filled. And he's the missing pieces to the puzzle._

_When I include him in my memories everything feels right. It's almost as if he should be there, but somehow isn't._

_And those dreams I keep having, parts seem real. As if they've happened and aren't just figments my brain has concocted. _

_I just wish I had all the answers._

_Should I tell him what's happening to me. How would he respond if I told him that I feel as if we've met before? He'll probably just think I'm a lunatic. _

_Or would does he feel the same way about me? Something is up with Roxas. Could it be similar to my situation?_

_Something, weird is definitely happening, but I wouldn't trade my time with Roxas, real or imaginary, for all the normalcy in the world. _

_Being normal is overrated anyway._

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Did you like it? Hate it? Tell me what you think!

Thanks again, for reading. Now that's school's out I should be able to update more. Chapter 16 is already finished.

Hope everyone has a coolamundo summer vacation!


	16. The Little Devil on Your Shoulder:R

Chapter 16!!! Uber thx to those who reviewed. I love feedback. And always thanks to my editor. You are awesome!

I'm letting you know right now that this chapter is extreme angst. Sorry for overkill. The next chapter (which I'm currnently still writing) will be angsty too, but not as much. So, sorry if it's extreme.

Oh and in chapter 14 I accidently wrote that Roxas' parents were astrologers. I meant to write that they were astronomers. Oops!

Hope you enjoy!!

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_It's getting stronger. More than just feeling their pain. It's knowing everything that torments them, every demon haunting them._

_Even those who are controlled by their selfish desires, their lust for that feeling of power, still are plagued by pain._

_Pain they try so hard to forget, buried deep down, just waiting to be released._

_And I could do that. To those who take pleasure in bringing others down to make themselves feel superior. I could drown them in their own cruelty. Make them endure their anguish. It would be the ultimate retribution. They would wallow in the same hate they inflict on others. _

_I could do that._

_But I won't._

_No, it would only make me the same as them. I'd be no different from those I detest._

_I'd become the greatest monster of them all._

_I'd become the Darkness._

_Destroying not only them, but myself as well._

xXx

Roxas twisted and turned, trying to fall back asleep. He had jolted awake earlier due to a nightmare.

In it he had stood on a circular platform made of stained glass. Examining it he saw the shapes of the glass made up the images of his friends, Demyx, Axel, and Olette.

He had walked to the edge of the platform and looked down into the dark, bottomless void. The platform then had begun to shake, the glass shattering. Roxas was thrown forward into the abyss, which was not actually completely empty as he had thought.

Tendrils of purplish black darkness had swarmed around him, binding his struggling body. They pulled him down further, the darkness threatening to swallow him. It had covered his face, with the exception of his eyes. Continuing to fight the darkness he had managed to free one of his arms. But when he reached out, hoping for someone, somehow, to save him, no one appeared. With one last unheard cry for help, the darkness had dragged him under.

Roxas had woken up, screaming, his heart beating feverishly. Sweat was dripping down his face, surprising him. The darkness had been so cold; he would have thought he would be shivering. But no, all his blankets were now on the floor, flung off the bed as he had slept.

The dream had awoken him almost two hours ago, yet he was still unable to fall back asleep. Which he supposed was a good thing, considering he did not want to relive the dream. But still, sitting in bed, listening the soft snores coming from the room across from his, was not something he was enjoying.

Frustrated, he got up from his bed and walked over to the large window on the side of the mansion. He opened it up and crawled outside onto the roof. All was dark, with the exception of the hundreds of stars he could see twinkling in the sky. The air was chilly, but not enough to make him shiver. It helped him clear his head, making him feel more awake.

In fact the darkness and silence calmed his nerves. He felt his shoulders relax, no longer tense like they had been for the past couple hours.

Roxas laughed quietly to himself.

"Funny, how the thing I fear the most, the darkness, comforts me," he whispered.

He leaned back against the roof and stared up at the stars, mentally connecting the constellations he knew.

When he had been little his parents would lay out on the front lawn of whatever their current house was, and point out all the stars. They would tell him their names and the stories that went along with each constellation. Stories such as the one about the hunter Orion and the one about the vain Cassiopeia, fascinated him.

His parents hoped that one day he would follow in their footsteps and become an astronomer. But as much as Roxas enjoyed learning about the stars, he never really considered study them for a profession. In fact, he never really thought much about what he planed to do once he was an adult.

Always encouraging as ever, his parents had told him that he didn't need to decide what the rest of his life would be like. One of their favorite things to tell him was "the sky's the limit". And whatever he did finally chose they would support him.

Thinking about his parents always depressed Roxas. It wasn't their fault they had a freak for a son, so why should they have to suffer? And even though he knew it was the Organization's fault for his parent's death, he never completely forgave himself.

But he also knew that his parents wouldn't want him to blame himself. They'd want him to live his life without regrets. Which he thought would be impossible to do. Already he had begun to rack up experiences he wished had never occurred.

The prophecy loomed over his head. Each day he could feel himself getting closer to it. The darkness inside of him was getting stirring, waiting for the right opportunity.

_Is there no way to avoid my fate? Is there any way to prevent the prophecy from coming true? _he wondered, unable to say it aloud.

The wind picked up then, shaking the trees that surrounded the side of the mansion. Leaves floated down on top of him. Roxas sighed deeply and tried to focus on the stars instead worrying about something that probably wouldn't happen for hopefully a while.

The stars always comforted Roxas. To him they were the only things left that he had of his parents. Sure, they weren't an actual memento of his parents, but they were the closest thing he had. He liked to think that his parents were up there among the stars looking down on him. Of course he knew his mom and dad weren't actually with the stars. He might not pay much attention in science class, but he was smart enough to know stars were up in space and not just pretty things stuck in the sky. On a metaphorical level though, it was a nice sentiment.

"I miss you guys," he whispered to the sky.

Again the wind picked up, ruffling his hair. He smiled to himself, imagining it was their way of responding back.

xXx

Roxas stumbled down the stairs, nearly tripping on his own feet. He had fallen asleep on the roof. If it wasn't for Axel finding him there, he'd probably still be sleeping.

"Good morning," greeted Demyx as Roxas made his way into the enormous kitchen.

Roxas grumbled back in response.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Demyx said, chuckling.

Sitting down at the oval table, Roxas laid his head down on his arms.

"Here, this will wake you up."

Demyx poured steaming coffee into a mug and place it in front of Roxas.

"Thanks, man," Roxas replied taking a much needed sip. "Ugh!" he exclaimed, sputtering. Coffee flew out of his mouth as he coughed.

"Too strong?" Demyx asked, an amused look in his eye.

"A little," Roxas choked out, trying to breathe properly again.

"Yeah, I accidently got coffee grounds happy. It's four spoonfuls to every cup right?"

"No. More like two," Roxas answered, getting up. He walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a bowl. Grabbing a box of Lucky Charms out of another cabinet he began pouring it into the bowl.

"Please tell me there's still milk," he said to Demyx.

"Yup. Larxene went to the store yesterday."

Roxas grinned, relieved and took the milk carton out of the refrigerator and drowned his cereal. He rummaged through the silverware drawer until he found a spoon.

"Any plans today?" Demyx asked, sitting down at the table.

"Nope." Roxas hoisted himself up onto an empty counter and began munching away on his breakfast. "You?"

"I think I have a training session later, but other than that not really."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about training. Guess it's going to be another great Saturday full of relaxation," Roxas said sarcastically.

"You and Olette aren't doing anything later tonight?"

"She's hanging out with Hayner and Pence. I was invited to come along, but I told her I was hanging out with you and Axel."

Demyx raised his left eyebrow. "You are?"

Roxas nodded and raised the now empty, with the exception of milk, bowl to his lips. He gulped down the remaining liquid and place the bowl and spoon into the sink. Ignoring Demyx's puzzled expression, he jump down from the counter.

"Roxas?"

"Yeah?"

"Everything okay?" Demyx asked, watching him intently.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Roxas replied, trying to keep his tone light. "I'm fine."

"Okay," Demyx replied slowly, dragging out the word as if it contained many syllables instead of just one.

"Catch you later." Roxas waved and left the room.

He let his shoulders droop as he climbed up the long staircase. Looking down at his feet as he walked he tried to determine the actual reason he had lied to Olette. It wasn't as if he didn't want to spend time with her, but he just felt he needed to be alone. Lately he had been more tired and sort of down in the dumps.

_And she's noticed. She's worried about me, but doesn't want to keep bothering me. Every time I'm around her I can feel it. She's torn between trying to get me to talk or to just let me be until I snap out of this funk. There's something else lurking beneath her feelings of concern. Something I can't figure out. It had felt like fear, but for herself. What is she afraid of?_

"Tough night?" asked a voice.

Roxas lifted his head up. "No, the roof was very comfortable," he replied bitterly.

Axel stood at the top of the stairs, smirking. "Why were you out there then?"

"Couldn't sleep."

Axel's smirk twisted downwards, into a frown. He ran his hands through his fire engine red hair and then stuck them in his jean pockets. "You've had nights like that all week long."

Roxas grimaced, already expecting Axel's and everyone else's usual question.

'_Is everything alright?'_

_No, everything's not fine! I can feel the Darkness coursing through me, screaming for me to stopping struggling and to just let it take over. To just let it fix everything. _

But the question never came. Instead Axel's stared at him, his eyes and face vacant of expression.

Roxas reached the top step. Axel moved back, out of his way. Again, Roxas flinched, this time because of what Axel was feeling. Roxas was used to Axel's frustration and worry concerning him, but he still couldn't get used to the sudden rush of someone else's emotions. It was like being pulled underneath freezing water, never knowing when he'd ever reached the surface again.

Usually, when he felt people's darkness it was brief. A fleeting instant that only felt prolonged. Yet, this time was different.

Something different. Something new.

Roxas froze as he passed by Axel. He clenched his fists and ground his teeth together.

_**You could do it**, _whispered a voice in the back of his head. _**Just try it. Just this once. See how it feels.** _

"Roxas?"

Roxas broke away from his thoughts and turned his head to the left, seeing Axel's hand on his shoulder. He lifted his eyes upward, meeting Axel's green cat like ones.

Axel jumped, removing his hand. "Um, sorry." He stepped backwards, nearer to the edge of the stairs. "Is everything okay?" he asked, his voice sounding as if it were shaking. "You kinda just stopped."

When Roxas didn't respond, Axel's eyes softened. "Oh. Did it happen again? The whole darkness thing, I mean?"

Roxas nodded, his eyes focused more towards the floor, than on Axel.

"Is it still getting worse?"

"No," Roxas answered, firmly, trying to sound believable. "I'm controlling it better." He looked up from the floor. "I have to go," he stammered before turning back around and heading down the hallway.

***

Axel watched Roxas as he walked away. It frustrated him how Roxas was hiding something from him. He was after all, his best friend.

No matter how many times Roxas told everyone is was okay, Axel knew otherwise.

_He's getting better at lying. I almost believed him there for a second,_ the redhead thought.

But something else was wrong. Something had happened to Roxas and it wasn't just his ability to sense people's darkness.

_For a moment there I thought… no, wait. I must have just imagined it._

Axel turned around and started descending down the long staircase.

***

Roxas sat against the baseboard of his bed and pulled his knees up to his chest. Axel's emotions had faded, but what had come with it was still lingering.

_**Come one, it would have been so much fun**,_ the voice in the back of his head whispered. It sounded like his own voice, but was twisted and cold. _**You've done it once by accident, haven't you? Why don't try it again? Revel in the feeling of complete control. You can do it. Come on-!**_

Roxas shook his head angrily, trying to make the noise stop. If he thought he was going insane before, it was nothing compared to what he had felt in the hallway.

Along with the normal rush of emotions coming from Axel and felt the need, no the want, to release Axel's darkness. To see that normally care-free face contort in pain. The sensation to make Axel drown in his own sorrow had hit Roxas like a truck. If Axel hadn't brought him out of his mental argument on whether to give in to the feeling, he probably would have lost and let the Darkness loose.

Roxas reached over and grabbed his iPod of his dresser. He placed the earphones into his ears and turned the iPod on. A loud, harsh guitar solo erupted from the earphones. Trying to forget everything that had recently happened, he sat there and focused on the blaring beats. The music flowed from the tiny iPod into his ears making his body pulse to the rhythm of the hard rock song.

He closed his eyes and just sat there listening. Slowly the want to just surrender to the Darkness and let it free faded until all that was left was the now almost silent voice in the back of his head. He could ignore it and just concentrate on the music.

Demyx may be the one who loved music the most and the only one to be able to produce his own sweet sound, but to Roxas, music was an escape from the world. The louder and more aggressive, the better. It severed him from everything else.

The song ended, beginning another one. This one softer than the last.

The voice had stopped completely. Finally no longer edgy, he smiled. He listened to the music, content.

"What the fu-?!" Roxas screamed as he felt the earphones being ripped out of his ears.

Opening his eyes he saw Larxene standing over him, his earphones in her hands. Her aqua eyes were blazing and her expression would have frightened any grown man to tears.

_No wonder the elders called her the Savage Nymph. How the hell did Axel ever date her? _he thought.

"What do you want Larxene?" he demanded.

"I've been yelling for you for five minutes," she snapped, her voice dripping with venom.

"Why?"

"Marluxia wants to talk to you," she answered, her smoldering eyes suddenly gleaming.

"You take too much pleasure in people's pain," Roxas replied.

Larxene smirked. "Nope. Just yours." She paused. "And maybe Zexion's. It's cute to see him fawn over me."

"Bet you wish it was Axel instead of Zexion."

Larxene's face darkened, her face looking more menacing than it had been moments before. Roxas noticed her fingertips were sparking with electricity. Expecting her to take revenge for what he had just uttered, he quickly produced one of his orbs, ready to defend himself.

He was surprised however, when the electricity disappeared from her hands. Her face relaxed, no longer fuming, but indifferent.

He closed his palm, extinguishing the darkness.

"Marluxia's waiting in his office," Larxene stated, sounding flat. She turned around to leave.

"Sorry, Larxene," Roxas said, sincerely.

Larxene looked back over her shoulder and smirked. With a quick wave of her hand she exited the room.

xXx

Roxas sat in the middle of his bedroom floor sorting through endless piles of paper. Marluxia had given him another "mission". This one consisted of sorting through random newspaper clippings he had collected over the years. Most were about strange accidents involving young children. Roxas assumed Marluxia had kept these because they might be potential members for the Organizations.

Each article was more ridiculous than the last one. Roxas picked one up titled 'Two-Year-Old Throws Earth-shattering Temper Tantrum'. The article then went on to explain how right after being put into time-out a small child caused an earthquake by having a hissy fit.

Roxas chuckled at the stupidity. Yeah, sure the earthquake had occurred where earthquakes rarely happened, but scientist had been able to explain it.

_Can't believe someone would actually publish this._

He looked up at the corner of the article to see if the name of the newspaper it was in. He laughed again when he saw the name. The article was from some magazine that wrote about people claiming to be abducted by aliens.

_Why would Marluxia even think these were credible?_ he thought.

Just then he noticed at the bottom of the paper written in girly cursive were the words 'not plausible'.

Tossing the article into the trash pile, Roxas picked up another article, this one just a tiny clipping.

'Couple Killed in Tragic Car Accident', he read. He was about to throw it onto the trash pile, thinking it had gotten there by mistake, when he glanced at the picture of the victims.

Roxas felt the blood pounding in his ears as he recognized his parents. He gripped the clipping harder and began to read.

'Yesterday David McCartney and his wife, Rachel were killed in an accident that involved three cars. Witnesses told the police that two cars were racing on the opposite side of the road. Somehow the driver of one of the cars lost control and drove over the median, crashing into the McCartney's vehicle…'

Roxas skimmed the rest catching the sentences 'Perhaps the strangest part of the crash was that when ambulances arrived, they found no one in the other car. Police believe that the driver managed to escape the crash unscathed and somehow during the chaos ran off into the nearby woods that lined the road. Whereabouts of the other racing car are unknown. Witnesses say it sped off, never even stopping."

The next paragraphs described the life of his parents. He continued reading noticing that the reporter never mentioned that the McCartneys had a son. As far as they were concerned only two people had been in the car during the accident. It appeared that no one had seen him being pulled from the car by whichever Organization member had done it.

Roxas had always suspected that it had been Xigbar who had been in the car that crashed into his parent's. The fact that Roxas had only received a small head injury in the accident helped his theory. He supposed the Xigbar had teleported as soon as he knew his car would collide with his parent's car. Then Luxord, who probably had driven the other car, had stopped time a second after the cars made impact with one another.

Roxas had blacked out, after being pushed into the side window due to the force of the crash. Xigbar had most likely teleported into the car, grabbed Roxas, and teleported out before Luxord resumed time.

Roxas's parents probably never realized Roxas hadn't been there in their last seconds of life.

Although Roxas never knew for certain, he was almost positive that was what happened. Xigbar and Luxord, his two favorite elders, always changed the subject whenever Roxas asked them about the accident. The guilty look in their eyes was all the proof Roxas needed. Of course he didn't blame them personally. Yes, it was the Organizations fault, but Luxord and Xigbar were only following orders.

However, seeing a picture of his parents made his blood boil. When he had been taken, the Organization members had gone to his house and brought to the mansion his clothes and other personal belongings. The only thing they hadn't let him keep was pictures of his old life. All the photos of him and his parents and those with him and Olette had been confiscated by Xemnas.

They wanted him to forget about his old life, but Roxas held on to his memories. He refused to forget how his parents and Olette had looked like.

But what angered him the most was not seeing the picture, but the fact that he was supposed to be in it. His dad had his arm around his mom's waist, with his other arm by his side. But Roxas knew for a fact that the real one had included him. He was supposed to be standing next to his arm, with his dad's arm around his shoulder. Where he should have been was empty space.

Looking as closely at the photo as he could, Roxas could barely tell that the picture had been photo shopped.

_Probably Vexen's handiwork, _he growled. _That bastard!_

Standing up, Roxas shoved the newspaper into his pocket. He stormed out of his room and ran up the stairs to the level of the house where the elder's offices were.

He reached Marluxia's and barged in, not bothering to knock. Marluxia looked up from his desk, looking not the least bit surprised.

"How may I help you?" he asked, calmly, but Roxas could hear the amusement in his voice.

"You knew!" Roxas snarled.

"Knew what?" Marluxia responded, feigning innocence.

"You put that article there. You knew I'd find it."

"Aren't you a little paranoid? I did nothing, but instructed you to sort through some old papers of mine," Marluxia replied, clearly loving every moment of Roxas's fury.

Roxas felt his hands shaking. Marluxia noticed them and smirked.

"You might want to calm down, Roxas. Wouldn't want that darkness of yours to erupt, now would you?"

_You need to calm down, _Roxas told himself.

_**Why?**_ whispered the voice in the back of his head. _**Why do you need to calm down? This man wants you to feel pain. He wants to torment you. Perhaps you should return the favor. Give into the Darkness. Your destiny is the Darkness. Why are you fighting it when you could dwell in power? Just let go.** _

"Are you alright?" Marluxia asked, sneering.

"No!" bellowed Roxas.

He raised his hand and brought out an orb of darkness. With all his might he hurled it over Marluxia's head. It made contact with one of the many large glass vases full of flowers, which Marluxia had placed on shelves all around the room.

With a sharp crack, the vase shattered causing flowers and water to go everywhere.

Roxas chuckled cruelly. The noise sounded foreign to him, almost as if it had come from someone else. It sounded like the twisted form of his own voice.

Marluxia's eyes flared. His pink hair dripping with water, he stood up from his desk chair.

"That wasn't a smart thing to do," he stated, coldly.

"So I'm guessing this would be even more stupid?" Roxas replied, his voice acidic.

Marluxia watched him, his eyes wide, as Roxas created orb after orb of darkness. Each time he produced one it rose into the air until there were eight surrounding him.

"And what do you plan to do with those?" Marluxia asked, sounding as if he was trying to hide the shakiness in his voice.

Without answering him, Roxas sent the orbs soaring across the room on all sides. The orbs smashed into more glass vases, sending shards of glass flying.

Leaping up in the air, Marluxia jumped over his desk and landed in front of Roxas.

"You're going to regret that," he growled.

"I sincerely doubt that."

Marluxia's lips curled into a sinister smile. He raised his right arm in the air, creating a single rose petal. It floated down until it touched his palm, turning into a scythe. He swung it out in front of him, prepared to strike.

Roxas swung out his arms, Oblivion and Oathkeeper forming in his hands.

_Huh?_

Roxas looked down at Oathkeeper, confused. It felt lighter and look duller. The silver was not as shiny and beautiful as he remembered it. He looked over at Oblivion, seeing too that it had changed. Only instead if being faded like Oathkeeper, the dark blues seemed deeper, the black handle more vigorous. The Keyblade also felt heavier, though not so much that he was having difficulty holding it.

Roxas looked up Marluxia, surprised that the heartless man had not attacked him while Roxas was busy examining his weapons. Marluxia was watching Roxas carefully, his eyes gleaming.

"Are you okay?" he asked again, snidely.

"Just damn peachy!" Roxas yelled.

He ran towards Marluxia and propelled Oblivion forward. Marluxia raised his scythe, blocking the blow. But Roxas only pushed harder. Marluxia struggled, trying to fend him off, but Roxas refused to give up. Letting Oathkeeper drop to the ground, he used both hands to drive Oblivion.

Marluxia released one of his hands from his weapon. He used his free hand to shoot thorns at Roxas.

Roxas staggered back, as the thorns ripped through his shirt, piercing his skin. Blood dripped from his shoulder and arm onto the floor, creating small puddles.

He raised his left hand, Oathkeeper appearing in it. The usual tingling feeling of Oathkeeper's magic flowed from the Keyblade to his arm, healing the little, but quite painful injuries.

The dripping blood stopped as the wounds sealed up. Roxas grinned at the advantage that Marluxia was lacking.

He raised Oathkeeper gasping as pain shot through his arm.

_What the hell?!_

Looking down at his arm he saw that the cuts were completely gone. There wasn't even mark that would be evidence that he had been hurt.

Roxas moved his arm again. His eyes blurred with tears, as the area where the thorns had cut open his flesh, began to throb, sending pain all up and down the right side of his body.

"What?" he asked, weakly.

Marluxia smiled. "It seems as though your weapon of light isn't working properly."

"Weapon of light?" Roxas managed to choke out, the pain making it hard to concentrate.

"When we first gave you your unique weapons we informed you that Oblivion represented darkness and Oathkeeper represented light. Your ability is unlike all others, Key of Destiny. You see, you can not have darkness without the light. The two complete each other, by balancing one another. Your power is still darkness, but you are still able to wield the weapon of light, due to that need of balance. You can't control light except for the healing powers Oathkeeper offers because your ability is the Darkness. But without that small amount of light you _can _control, you're heart would be lost to the Darkness," Marluxia said.

"Why would it stop working?" Roxas said out loud, more to himself than the pink haired man.

"Yes that is peculiar. It healed the wound, but failed to rid your body of the poison."

"Poison?"

"My thorns are poisonous, sending that poison through out your body, until the pain is too much to bear," Marluxia replied, his voice sounding distant to Roxas's ears.

"It won't kill you though. But I doubt you'll be in a condition to see that girlfriend of yours for a long time." Marluxia paused. "Which reminds me, I believe you were warned to stay away from that girl? I guess we'll just have to erase her memories again. Naminé should be able to do it easily now, as well as tweak everyone else's memories of the two of you together."

"Olette!" Roxas gasped.

He sprang upwards and swung Oblivion with his good hand. Marluxia merely jumped out the way and laughed.

"You can't win this fight," he said, a look of pure glee on his face. "Actually now that I think about it, Saix has been so bored lately. Maybe I'll let him have a little fun. Olette would make an excellent chew toy for him."

"You bastard! If you hurt her I'll kill you!"

Ignoring the pain, Roxas ran across the room and using every ounce of strength he had, he swung Oblivion. The Keyblade stabbed Marluxia in chest.

Marluxia eyes grew wide as he looked at the weapon protruding out form his body. Blood spilled out of the wound, although not enough that would be fatal. He fell to his knees, his scythe transforming into nothing more but pale pink rose petals.

Roxas stood there, trying to breathe normally. He watched as Marluxia reached, took the Keyblade out of his body, and threw it to the floor.

It reappeared in Roxas's palm. He dismissed it, letting the Keyblade fade away, where it would wait for the time when Roxas summoned it again.

Marluxia began laughing, shocking Roxas.

"You get nearer to the prophecy every day," he stated, sneering.

Roxas shook his head, but said nothing. He suddenly became aware that his arm was no longer in agony. In fact, he could almost move it.

Marluxia slowly rose from the floor, his eyes never leaving Roxas's.

Roxas gulped and stepped back.

"The Darkness will eat at you. There's no escaping it." Marluxia swayed. He fell to his knees again, clutching his injury.

_**He's pathetic**, _whispered the voice in the back of Roxas's head. _**Why do you fear him? He's weak. Come on, let's have some fun.**_

Roxas stumbled backwards as he felt the rush of hatred wash over him. Marluxia's malice and feeling of superiority pulsed through out his body.

_**Dig deeper. You can find it.**_

Roxas listened to the voice, and began pushing through the intense feelings of cruelty.

Marluxia's eyes widen in fear, his face no longer malicious, but vulnerable.

_**Dig deeper.**_

Roxas reached into Marluxia's darkness. He gasped as the feelings of pleasure and longing for power, faded, leaving behind something else.

He was a small seven-year-old boy, wishing just they'd stop calling him names like 'Flower Boy' and that they'd stop teasing him about his pink hair.

He was an eleven-year-old who wanted his mom, who the mean scary older men with the strange abilities had taken him away from.

He was in his late teens, heartbroken over the only girl he had ever loved,

He was in his twenties, tired of taking care of snotty kids, especially the one he envied. The one who was the favorite of the only man he could call his father. The one special enough to fulfill the prophecy.

_**Yes! Now make him suffer. Do it. It'll be fun.**_

Roxas closed his eyes and focused on the emotions from Marluxia he had just uncovered. Opening his eyes, he saw the man he once feared slumped on the floor, a pathetic being.

He felt no pity for the man. Underneath all the hatred and cruelty, Marluxia was only someone who was weak and only pretended to be powerful and daunting.

_**That's it. Make him suffer**. _

_No! _argued another voice. A voice not twisted or cold. A voice he knew well. His own, before the other awful voice had invaded.

_This isn't right! This isn't you and you know it! Think about you're parents. Think about _her. _You'd look like a monster to her right now. _

Roxas allowed Marluxia's emotions to slip from his fingers. Marluxia's eyes stopped bulging and his body relaxed.

Roxas fell to his own knees as Marluxia's darkness left him, making him feel numb.

_**You idiot!**_ screamed the sadistic voice._ **He deserves to wallow in his own darkness!** _

"Shut up!" Roxas roared, clutching his head. His voice echoed off the walls.

Marluxia twitched from where he laid. Lifting his head, his eyes met Roxas's.

"Forget Saix. I'm going to rip that girl apart myself. I'll make you pay for what you just did," he threatened.

Roxas felt the blood in his veins begin to boil.

_Can't lose control, _he told himself, ignoring the other voice that demanded he took revenge. He fought against the sinister feeling trying to explode from him.

Marluxia cackled, raising himself up from the ground, gingerly. "That incredible ability of yours is wasted on you. You don't have the nerve to use it properly. You're a coward, Roxas. Ever since we brought you here, you've nothing but a nuisance. When you're not brooding over that girl of yours, you're crying about your pathetic dead parents."

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Roxas stopped resisting the darkness. Concentrating all his will into torturing Marluxia, he shot tendrils of darkness out of his hands. They snaked their way around the room towards the pink haired man.

Marluxia summoned his scythe and tried to repel the shadows that wrapped around his legs. They slithered up his body, binding him.

Roxas laughed cruelly as Marluxia's eyes widened in fear as the tendrils engulfed his scythe.

_Don't do this!_

For once Roxas chose to ignore the light, opting instead to let the Darkness take the reigns. His lips curled into a smile.

"Roxas!" Marluxia choked, the Darkness strangling him. "Please! It hurts!"

"You all wanted me to follow to your damn prophecy and to surrender to my darkness. Well, this is what you got," Roxas replied, his voice malicious.

_Please stop! _pleaded the light from within inside of him.

"He killed my parents!" he shouted.

_Xigbar and Luxord killed your parents. And only because they were ordered to, _responded the voice.

"No, Marluxia was the one who planned everything. I can sense his pride in his 'brilliant' plan. He's the one who planned everyone's death."

Marluxia's terrified face, twisted into an expression of smugness.

"That's right, Roxas. You can feel my darkness. You're closer to the prophecy than we thought. It's only a matter of time before the pivotal event happens," he said.

Roxas loosened the tendrils in surprise. "What event?"

Marluxia chuckled quietly. "When you either willingly decide to fulfill your destiny or the darkness consumes you and you become a mindless shadow to do our bidding. And…" he paused, his eyes shining, "from the look of this, it appears the former will happen. I never would have thought in a million years, that you would choose the path to darkness voluntarily, and so hungrily." He smirked. "You're parents must be so proud of their denizen of darkness," he added mockingly.

Roxas stepped backwards, stunned. The shadows slacked from Marluxia's body. They fell to the ground and disappeared in wisps of purplish smoke.

Without saying another word, Roxas ran from the room. He could hear Marluxia's harsh laughter from behind him as he made his way down the hallway.

Roxas swayed. His head and heart were pounding rapidly. He stopped and leaned against the wall.

_I let the Darkness control me. I… I _

Unable to finish his thought, he tried to distract himself with something else. But no matter, how hard he tried, he couldn't forget about the feeling of power the Darkness had given him.

_The worst part was that I enjoyed it. It was exhilarating, that sensation of absolute power. I didn't even care I was doing the wrong thing. It was satisfying seeing him twist in agony. A great feeling._

A low chuckled escaped from his lips as he remembered the horrified look on Marluxia's face.

He covered his mouth with his hands, as he realized that the callous laugh had been his.

_What's happening to me?!_

_**You're following your destiny**, _laughed the cruel voice in the back of his head.

Roxas winced as the laugh echoed inside his head, sounding much like fingers being dragged against a chalkboard.

"I need to get out of here," Roxas stated, breathlessly.

He ran to his room to grab his favorite checkered jacket and sprinted back down the hallway. After taking the stairs two at a time he leaped into the living room.

Axel and Demyx looked up from whatever they were doing.

"What happened?" they both exclaimed, taking in his ripped shirt stained with blood.

"Axel, I need to borrow your car," Roxas said, ignoring their shared astonished looks.

"What happened? We thought we heard something going on from upstairs, but Saix told us it was nothing and to mind our own business," Axel replied.

"Your keys, Axel," Roxas responded, anger rising in his voice.

He didn't want to talk; didn't want to explain. All he wanted was to leave this place.

Axel stood up, a determined gleam in his eye. "Not unless you tell me what's been going on with you."

"Roxas, we're worried about you. We're used to you lying to us and we put up with it 'cause we know you're stressed out. But now you're lying to Olette. You're not acting like yourself. What's wrong?" Demyx added.

"Just give me the damn keys!" Roxas shouted.

Axel and Demyx's eyes widened, their faces conveying a mixture of alarm and fear.

"Okay, man." Axel dug into his pocket and took out his keys. He tossed them to Roxas.

"Thanks," Roxas replied, softly. "I'm- I'm sorry guys," he stammered.

Hating his best friends' expressions of astonishment, and how he had treated them, he left the room.

***

Axel and Demyx flinched as they heard the front door slam.

"Axel, di-did you just see what I saw?" Demyx asked, his voice shaking.

Axel nodded his head gravely. "You didn't imagine it, Demyx," he answered, desolately. "His eyes were black. The same as the darkness he wields."

_Just like they had been this morning, _Axel thought, remembering how Roxas's eyes has flashed black for a second, before returning to their normal bright blue.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So what did you think? Tell me your thoughts. Please! I love getting reviews.

Thanks again for reading. I'll post the new chapter ASAP!


	17. Doppelganger:R

Chapter 17! Thanks to all those who reviewed. I really appreciate it.

I forgot to add this in my author's note for about two chapters: How many of you know that Jessie is in fact a character in KH? Yup, not someone completely random. She's the blonde shop keeper in Twilight Town. I'm am just so nerdy and obesssed with KH that I sadly know the name of a character that never speaks. :)

I'm so excited! Over 2000 hits and over 50 reviews! Thanks. You guys are awesome.

To Toxo: The reason I decided to have Roxas control darkness is because I personally think it's cooler and it fits the story better. There wouldn't be much of a plot if Roxas wasn't angsty over his darkness. Thx for reviewing. :)

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! It's rather angsty, but I really love the ending of it.

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_**Running away are you?**_

_**How weak. How pathetic.**_

_**Where do you think you're possibly going?**_

_**You can't escape me. No matter how hard you try.**_

_**I'm always there. Waiting for you in the shadows. **_

_**You can feel me getting stronger. The more hatred and anger that builds up, the more intense I become.**_

_**Just give in. Why go through all that torment?**_

_**Have some fun. Take pleasure in the power. **_

_**Don't deny it. You enjoy the feeling of control.**_

_**I'm waiting for you, Key of Destiny.**_

xXx

Roxas concentrated on the road, not caring that he didn't have the faintest clue as to where he was going. The highway stretched out before him with barely any cars in sight. His sight flickered over to the closest exit. For some reason something in his brain clicked. Choosing to take the exit, he left the barren highway.

Soon small shops came into view. Noticing the almost empty gas tank, Roxas pulled over to a gas station.

_Guess I've been driving longer than I had realized, _he thought as he stopped the car and got out. He swung on his jacket before going inside the small convenience store, wanting to hide his torn shirt, stained with dry blood. After holding the door opened for an elderly woman exiting the store, he walked inside. The girl standing behind the counter looked up, her bored expression suddenly replaced with a look of interest.

"Can I help you?" she asked, smiling broadly.

Roxas smiled politely back at her. "Just need some refreshments."

He walked over to where the sodas were stored and pulled out a bottle of Dr. Pepper. Then he turned to the shelves of chips and began scanning for something he liked. He could feel the girl's eyes watching him. Turning around, he walked up to the counter.

"I've never seen you around here," she said.

"Just passing through," Roxas answered flatly. He wasn't really in the mood for small talk. All he wanted was to get back into the truck and keep driving until he reached wherever he was going.

"Okay Mr. Mysterious," the girl laughed.

She picked up his soda and chips and began scanning them, rather slowly, or so Roxas noticed.

He tried not to let his slight irritation show.

_Hurry up_, he thought annoyed, as she continued to hit random buttons on the cash register.

"That'll be six thirty munny."

Roxas dug into his pocket and pulled out the exact amount, not wanting to see how long the girl could prolong counting change.

"Have a nice day," she said, handing him his purchases.

"You too," he replied, his slightly harsh tone contradicting his words.

The girl looked taken aback, clearly surprised at his change in attitude. She watched as he moved briskly toward the door and left the store.

He walked to his car and placed the soda and chips on the driver's seat. Then he took the gas nozzle and placed it into the tank. Leaning against the truck, he watched as the price grew. Finally, when they stopped to show that the gas tank was filled up, he took out a small credit card out of his jacket and paid.

Once he got back and the road he continued driving without really thinking about where he was heading. Occasionally he would feel the urge to change direction and make a turn.

The dead silence inside the car was suddenly disrupted by the noise of Roxas's cell. He ignored the sound and continued focusing on the road. Stopping at a red light moments later, he sighed and pulled the phone out of his pocket.

_One missed call: Axel, _he read.

Roxas was just about to pocket his phone when it rang a second time.

"I don't want to talk," he murmured, seeing that Demyx was now trying to reach him.

He glanced up, noticing the light had changed. To his relief there were no other cars behind him; meaning there was no one ready to start honking up a storm at his lack of driving.

Turning off his phone, he began driving again. As he looked out his side widow he saw that he was no longer driving past shops, but instead quaint houses. Small children ran up and down the sidewalks as neighbors chatted on front porches.

The whole scene reminded him of something familiar, but he was unable to place what it was. After a few more streets the gnawing feeling that he knew this place was becoming more conspicuous.

Slowing down the car, he surveyed the houses, hoping something would pop out at him and reveal why he felt like he had been there before.

When he got to an intersection between two streets, he peeked up at the street sign.

"No!" he shouted, slamming hard on the brakes. The car jerked to a stop as he stared at the street sign.

_It ca-can't be. Impossible! No chance in hell._

A rapid tap on the on his window, made him jumped. He looked over, seeing a boy who looked only a few years younger than himself. Behind him on the sidewalk were two kids at a lemonade stand. They watched him with identical expressions of curiosity on their young faces.

Roxas pressed down on a button, letting the window roll down.

"Um, can I help you?" he asked the boy.

The boy smiled sheepishly at him. "I was gonna ask you that. Are you lost or something?"

Roxas shook his head. "No, just passing through. Thanks, though."

"No problem," the boy replied, his brow furrowed in slight confusion. He stepped away from the car and back onto the sidewalk.

Roxas rolled the window back up and hit the gas pedal, deciding to turn down the street. He watched the houses he was passing by carefully. They all looked vaguely familiar, but he assured himself that most houses looked similar to one another. In the back of his mind he knew he was just trying to come up with excuses, anything that would dispute what he was trying to deny. There was nothing he could tell himself that would rationalize the street name. He knew that street name, and no matter what he tried to tell himself, he finally had figured out where he was.

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he stopped in front of a small house, painted white with green shutters. A tire swing hung from the branches of a tall oak tree. Strewn about the yard was an assortment of bikes and other toys, signs that children lived there. Behind the house were the woods, stretching from one end of the street to the other.

Roxas pulled over to the sidewalk and turned off the engine. He stepped out of the car and crossed the street, toward the house he hadn't seen for five years.

xXx

Roxas leaned his head against a tree and took a deep breath. He picked up a brown, crumpled leaf lying beside him and began picking it apart. When he had reduced it to nothing more than a stem he picked up another one and started shredding it.

Not wanting the occupants of his old home to look out their windows and see some crazy teenage boy standing in their yard, gawking at their house, Roxas had gone into the small backyard and jumped the white picket fence. He had entered the woods and started walking to nowhere particular. A few minutes later he was unsurprised when he entered the clearing where he and Olette used to hang out. It was almost as if feet were just so accustomed to finding the clearing, that they knew the correct way without him having to think about it.

Roxas threw the half destroyed leaf he was holding. It moved not even a foot before floating back down to the ground.

_Never thought I'd ever see this place again, _he thought, unsure whether or not he was happy about seeing the place that held such significance from his past life.

This was the place he had found after his horrible first day at his new school. For a few weeks he had come here alone everyday to read, think, or on a few occasions, cry. It had been his secret, special place. That is, until he had brought Olette there for the first time, making it their place.

Roxas glanced across the clearing at the tree where Olette had normally leaned up against. For a brief second he could see her sitting there, book opened in her lap, laughing at something silly Roxas had told her, just so he could see her smile.

He closed his eyes, trying not to think of those times.

_Maybe I should just leave._

The whole clearing was filled with the ghosts of the best times in Roxas' life. He could almost hear pages of books being turned as the two of them read copies of the same book, pausing every few pages to see who was the farthest along. He could almost picture the two of them working on homework together. Could almost see Olette twiddling and admiring her turquoise necklace when she thought he wasn't looking.

Roxas couldn't understand why these memories were making him feel hollow. After all, Olette was dating him now.

_Isn't that enough?_ He asked himself.

Yet he knew it wasn't. Olette would never remember reading with him, or their actual first kiss in the rain. She would never remember the truth behind the necklace of hers.

_She'll never again know the real me. _

Opening his eyes, he realized that one of the major things bothering him was that he'd always being lying to her. She'd never know about his unique ability. He'd never be able to confide in her the real reasons for his odd behavior.

At one time she had known everything about him. And if Roxas hadn't been so lucky that knowledge would have gotten her killed.

_It's better this way. The Organization has no cause to harm her. _

With that comforting thought, Roxas reached into his pocket and pulled out his silver cell phone. After turning it on, he was surprised to see the amount of messages left. Several from Axel and Demyx and two from Olette.

He skipped over the ones from Axel and Demyx and listened to Olette's.

"_Hey, Roxas. Axel just called me a few minutes ago, asking if I knew where you had gone_. _He sounds really worried._ _Please call me back as soon as you get this message."_

"_It's been a couple hours since I last called. Axel won't tell me what happened, but he says you left earlier in the afternoon and no one's heard from you since. He sounded scared. And frankly, I'm scared too. Right now it's around seven. Please call me when you get this message. I don't care if it's at one in the morning. Call me so I know you're alright. Bye."_

Roxas closed his phone, feeling guiltier by the second. Olette had sounded close to tears during the last few sentences in her second message.

He didn't even want to listen to Axel and Demyx's messages. The look in their eyes when they had last talked had continued to haunt him throughout the whole drive. He'd imagine that they'd be even more worried than Olette. By now they would know what had happened to Marluxia. It wouldn't be hard for them to put two and two together.

Roxas checked his watch. It was already eight o'clock. The sun had begun to set, the woods getting darker by the seconds.

He knew he could easily find his back in the dark; after all he'd spent many late nights out here either with Olette of just by himself. Yet, Roxas didn't feel like going back to the truck and driving back to home. He didn't want to talk to Axel. Didn't want to even think about the punishment that awaited him for what he had done.

The only thing Roxas wanted right now was to be left alone and not have to deal with his problems. Eventually he'd have to face his demons. But right now he could push them away.

After turning off his phone, Roxas laid down on the ground and tried to get somewhat comfortable. Ignoring the thoughts and worries buzzing around in his brain, he closed his eyes and let sleep wash over him.

xXx

_Too much light. It's blinding._

_Can't see. Where am I?_

"_**Too bright?"**_

_I cringed. _

_That voice. Twisted, malicious._

"_**I can fix it, if you want."**_

_My muscles tense up with every word uttered. _

_I've heard that voice before. _

_But before I could remember who it belonged to, the lights went out._

_Yet, I can still see. It's almost pitch black, and I can still see._

_Why can I see? I know it's dark, but still every detail as clear as ever. Looking down I'm standing on the platform made of stained glass._

"_**You've always been better with darkness. The Light was just there to prevent me from growing to my full potential. Quite annoying really."**_

_Every cell in my body screamed for the voice to stop talking. Clutching my hands to my ears I tried to block the noise. My head feels as if it's about to shatter. _

"_**Turn around, Roxas," **__the voice commanded, not even the slight bit quieter._

_Knowing the moment I turn around I'll regret it, I still listened to the voice._

_I remember who it belongs to now._

_And no matter how hard I tried to put it away it, I knew I'd never be able to escape it._

"_**Roxas,"**__ he stated, sounding pleased._

_He's wearing the Organization cloak with the hood pulled up. His face is completely in darkness. The only visible thing are his –my- bright blue eyes staring at me._

_I know right now his lips are curled into a sinister smile, despite not being able to see his face._

"_What do you want?" I shouted at him. _

"_**That temper of yours just makes me stronger,"**__ he replied, his voice dripping with conceit._

_I remained silent. _

_A loud, cold laugh came from underneath the hood. _

"_**You know you enjoy using your ability. Makes you feel powerful. Sure, creating physically darkness is fun, but it's just kid stuff. Your true power is used for much more entertaining purposes. Remember Marluxia's face? That was fantastic, wasn't it?! He deserved it for dangling the threat of hurting Olette. I couldn't let him do that, so I had to help you… well us, I mean."**_

"_Why would you give a damn about _my _Olette?" I demanded, emphasizing there was just a me, not an us._

"_**Roxas,"**__ my doppelganger chuckled. "__**I may be the Darkness inside you, but I'm still **_**you. **_**We still have the same concerns. I care about Olette as much as you do, but for different reasons. I'm darkness. Meaning everything from hate to…"**__ he paused, his eyes gleaming, __**"lust."**_

"_Shut up! I care more about her than just that. I lo-"_

"_**Love her, yes I'm aware,"**__ he interrupted, sounding bitter. __**"That is a problem,"**__ he muttered, more to himself than to me. "__**She is quite problematic. Nearly lost my hold, cause of her. Maybe it was just that one time, though. But, what if she's- no she can't be…"**_

"_What are you talking about?" I asked._

_Dark Me jumped slightly, as if he'd forgotten I was there. __**"Nothing, Roxas."**__ He let out another dark laugh._

"_What's so damn funny?"_

"_**I'm just excited, that's all. The prophecy will soon be nigh. It's going to be so much fun, I can't wait," **__he answered, his voice almost giddy._

"_You know what it is? How? I don't know so how can you?"_

"_**You might not know the exact words, but theories have formed in your mind. Try as you might to forget, to push aside your fear of what you know you will become. I'm also the Darkness; I know my path, our destiny. And boy, I cannot wait to cause all that strife and suffering! And you know what, my friend?"**__ he asked, his voice growing quieter on the last words._

"_What?" I replied, even though I knew I wouldn't like his answer._

"_**Neither can you."**_

xXx

Roxas opened his eyes, wincing at the sudden intake of light. He pushed himself up, leaves falling from his clothes. Some stuck in his hair, but he ignored them.

Sleeping on the ground was not the most enjoyable experience. His back was sore and his face itchy from lying on all the leaves.

His dream had also not helped matters. Roxas concentrated trying to recall details, but other than someone wearing a black cloak that hid their face, he could remember very little.

"It had been me," he said aloud. The answer had come to him suddenly without him really understanding it. Yet, he knew the cloaked figure had been him. It had told him it he was Roxas, or at least the Darkness within him.

His doppelganger had egged him on. He'd tried to convince Roxas to do something.

_Wish I could remember,_ Roxas thought, frustrated.

But like most forgotten dreams, the more he tried to think, the more the details got tangled up until he wasn't even sure what he remembered had actually occurred.

Rubbing his eyes, he stood. It was time to go back to the mansion. Time to face Axel, Demyx and the Elders. There was nothing else he could do to prolong leaving the one place he truly felt was home and to go back to the place that was the cause to all his problems.

_Unless… _he pondered. _I could, yes I'd really like that._

He walked to the edge of the clearing, ready to leave.

"_Roxas! Let's play tag!"_

"_Sure, you're it, Olette!"_

"_Not fair!"_

Roxas turned around, the memory of those lost days echoing in his brain. For a moment he could picture the image of two pre-teens joking around and enjoying the freedom to just be themselves with out worrying about anything else that the woods offered them.

"Good-bye," Roxas said, smiling sadly. He turned back around and headed in the direction that would lead him back to the truck.

Closing his eyes he could still hear the faint ghosts of a girl and boy's laughter reverberating off the trees.

xXx

Roxas gave his old home one last meaningful glance before getting back into his truck. He started the car and pulled into someone's driveway so he could backed out in order to turn around. After turning off the street, he passed the lemonade stand that he had seen yesterday. It was vacant, being way too early for the kids to be up and out ready to make a few dollars.

The sun was just beginning to rise. Roxas checked the truck's clock and saw that it was around seven. He'd been gone for over twelve hours.

_Axel, Demyx, and Olette are probably past worried now. If I was them I'd be pissed, _he though, ashamed that he had yet to respond to their calls. Especially Olette's.

There was only one more place he wanted to go before the dreaded return to Twilight Town.

Roxas spotted two women chatting and walking their dogs over on the sidewalk. He slowed down to a stop and rolled down his window.

"Excuse me?" he asked politely.

"Yes?" answered one of the women, kindly, as she stopped walking. The dog attached to the leash she was holding was forced to stop as well. It looked up at Roxas as if to say _I want to keep going. It's your fault for making me stop._

"I was wondering if you could possible give me directions to the cemetery?" Roxas replied.

One of the women gave him a curious look, probably wondering why the hell a teenager would be wanting to visit the cemetery. The woman, who had answered him before, however smiled sympathetically at him.

"Sure, sweetie. Wanting to visit someone?"

"Yeah, my grandmother," Roxas lied, wanting to avoid the reaction people gave him when he told them his parents were dead. Dead grandmother was one thing, but people tended to make a bigger deal out of dead parents, especially since he was so young.

The women gave him the directions. "Sorry for your loss," she added.

"Thank you, and thanks for the directions," Roxas responded. He gave a quick wave before rolling the window back up. The women began walking again.

Roxas drove in the direction the women had told him. He hoped he was going to the right cemetery. He had just assumed that his parents had been buried in the last town they'd lived in.

Roxas spotted the cemetery and parked along the sidewalk. Taking a deep breath he stepped out of the car. He walked up to the small gate and pushed it open. Not knowing where they'd be buried he began scanning gravestones.

It wasn't a very big cemetery. Maybe fifty tombstones at the most. Looking at them he saw that most of the people had died of old age. Only a few had short life spans engraved in them. Some graves were decorated with vibrant flowers while others were covered with dead flowers left there to be forgotten.

Roxas stopped, his throat tightened, as he saw a worn teddy bear placed on top of a grave. Reading the epitaph he saw the boy had died at the age of ten.

Feeling his eyes start to mist, Roxas began walking again. He was starting to lose hope that he would ever find his parent's graves. Finally, after what felt like forever, he read a grave with the name David McCartney.

Feeling his heart beat increase he looked over to the right of the gravestone and saw another, this one with the name Rachel McCartney.

Roxas fell to his knees in front of his mother's gravestone. He reached out and traced the words 'Beloved wife" with his finger. Below should have been the words 'Beloved mother', but there was nothing else. Roxas knew there wouldn't be. After all no one remembered the McCartneys had a son.

Tears fell freely from his eyes now.

"Mom," he whispered.

The words on the grave blurred as more tears built up. They streamed down his cheeks, falling lightly on the soft grass.

Roxas stood up and stuck his hands in his jean pockets. He wished he had some flowers to place at his mother's grave. Both of the graves were undecorated. Forgotten by all except him.

Moving over to his father's grave, he reached out and ran his fingers over the name David McCartney.

"I'm so sorry," Roxas croaked out. "If I hadn't been different, none of this would have happened."

He backed away from the grave and stared at them for a few minutes. When nothing but silence occurred, he chuckled to himself.

_What? Was I thinking that they would respond and tell me everything was okay?_

He stood there for a little while longer, before deciding it was time to go.

"I love you guys," he whispered.

Sticking his hands back into his pockets, he turned and headed toward the gate.

xXx

Roxas parked in front of the Organization Mansion and stared at it. Looking at his watch he saw that it was almost three o'clock. Meaning he had been missing for almost twenty-four hours.

_They're going to murder me,_ he thought.

Taking a deep breath, he got out of the truck and walk up to the front door. He unlocked it and went inside, trying to be as quiet as possible as he moved across the foyer.

"Not going to happen," said a slightly livid voice, which Roxas recognized all too well.

He turned to see Axel and Demyx standing there in the living room. Shoulders slumped, he walked over to them.

"Hi guys. What's-"

But before Roxas could finish what he was saying, a fist collided with his left eye.

"Fuck!" Roxas yelled, holding his hand over his throbbing eye.

Axel smirked back at him.

"Okay, guess I deserve that," Roxas replied.

"You totally do," responded Demyx, trying not to laugh.

"So you guys are pissed, right?

"I think we're past pissed. Shit, Roxas. What were you thinking? We were all worried. You storm out of here without any explanation and then don't contact any of us. Not even your girlfriend, who I might add is freaking out that your hurt," Axel said.

Roxas winced, the guilt washing over him again.

_First me collapsing at school. And now this. She's probably regretting dating me._

"Is she okay?"

Axel sighed and ran his fingers through his flaming-red hair. "Yeah, just a little scared. You've been acting weird," he paused and smirk, "even more than usual."

"I'm sorry," Roxas replied honestly. "I'm guessing that you guys want to know about what happened."

"We already know. Or at least know Marluxia's side of the story. If he didn't hate you before, he most definitely does now."

"I can't believe you smashed his vases! I've always wanted to do that," Demyx exclaimed, sounding awed.

"Um, I sort of lost control," Roxas replied.

"Yeah, we got that. The gaping wound in Marluxia's chest sort of tipped us off. What did he do?" Axel asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Roxas turned to leave, but Axel reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Let go," Roxas said. His voice wasn't angry, just exhausted sounding. Almost deflated.

But, Axel kept his grasp. "Roxas, I've put up with your brooding shit for five years. I thi-"

"Thanks," Roxas interrupted, flatly.

Axel narrowed his eyes at Roxas and continued on, "I think Demyx and I deserve an actual explanation. So far we've gotten some vague ones. So you're gonna explain what the hell is going on. Or we'll make you." His tone, although light, still had the edge of an actual threat to it.

Roxas chuckled faintly. "Make me?"

"Bubbles of Doom, remember?" stated Demyx.

Sitting down on the arm of the couch, Roxas sighed. "What do you want to know?"

"We already know that you can feel people's darkness," Axel started.

"And somehow release it," Demyx added. "Can you control when you feel it. And what do we give off?"

"No, it comes and goes in spurts," Roxas replied.

Axel and Demyx waited for him to answer the second question, but when it became apparent he wouldn't they moved on.

"I'm still a bit fuzzy on the releasing it part. You did it to me once, right?"

Roxas nodded. "That time it was a complete accident. Not really sure how I did it then. All I know is that when I did, that darkness was liberated, making you act the way you did."

He looked over at Axel, who was watching him intently.

"_That _time, it was an accident?"

Roxas cringed. He had been hoping neither of them would catch that. But as always, Axel was attentive to everything he was saying.

"Um, yeah."

"Care to explain?"

"When I was fighting Marluxia, I kind of, um…" he trailed off.

"What?" Demyx said quietly.

But, Roxas couldn't answer.

The scene from yesterday kept replaying in his head. Marluxia's horrified expression as Roxas towered over him, forcing him to relive his darkest demons. How the merciless voice had goaded him to do it.

For once, Roxas had been in control over an Elder. He had been the one calling the shots.

No longer the pawn on the chessboard. But instead the Queen, the most powerful piece in the game.

_**I'm always there. Waiting for you in the shadows. **_

_**You enjoyed causing him pain. It was fun, wasn't it Roxas? Let's do it again!**_

Roxas' lips curled into a sinister smile.

_It was fun, _he responded back to the voice. Only his _own_ voice had changed. It was no where near the vindictive one that echoed inside his head. But still, it sounded more acidic and ruthless. It was a stranger's voice.

_I want to do it again. Make the Elders suffer. _

_**Don't forget those outside the Organization who caused us pain. Remember Riku? How he tried to steal your girl? I'm sure he has things buried deep down, just waiting to be released. Or Kairi? Pretty thing she is. Imagine big, fat tears falling down on her pretty cheeks.**_

_**Make them all suffer. We can do it. We're the "Chosen One". This is our purpose. Make them suff-**_

"Roxas!"

The voice went silent as Roxas felt someone shaking him.

"Roxas!"

His eyes focused on Axel, now gripping him by the shoulders.

Behind him, Demyx stood, petrified.

"What happened?" Roxas asked, groggy.

But, neither Axel nor Demyx said anything. They continued to gawk at him, identical expressions of shock across their faces.

Axel released Roxas and backed away. His hands were shaking.

"Guys? What happened?" he repeated, fear rising in his voice.

"It's starting," whispered a dismayed voice.

The three boys jumped. Naminé was standing on the stairs, watching them.

She hurried down the stairs and into the sitting room. Pushing past Axel and Demyx, both of which were completely immobile, she stood in front of Roxas.

"You remember me telling you to fight the Darkness right?" she asked him, her voice getting more frantic with each word.

Roxas nodded weakly.

"Roxas, please," she pleaded, as tears started to roll down her cheeks. "It's crucial that you don't surrender to the Darkness. You need to find the light. Don't let them win. The prophecy doesn't have to come true! If you keep fighting, it won't. Please-"

"Naminé, what just happened?" Roxas interrupted, exasperated.

"You're eyes went all black," Axel answered, surprising Roxas.

"Actually, more deep purple and midnight blue," corrected Demyx.

Axel shot him an annoyed look.

"What? The color of those orbs he creates. They're not completely black."

Roxas barely even listened as they argued. His eyes turned black? So what? He had seen weirder things before. After all he could do, that had frightened them the most?

"I'm not getting why you guys are freaking out," Roxas stated, slight laughter in his voice. He glanced over at Naminé as if to say _what a bunch of wimps, _but stopped when he saw her expression.

"Something besides that happened?" he said softly, understanding her face.

Axel and Demyx stopped bickering and looked back at Roxas.

"I can't really describe it, Roxas. Your face just got all evil-looking-"

"-almost Lord Voldemort like" Demyx chimed in, trying to add some humor to diffuse the tension. "It wasn't like you. Almost as if you were a different person."

"It was worse than when Saix is furious."

"It wasn't just malicious. You looked happy. As if you were watching someone in pain and taking pleasure in it."

"Roxas," Naminé whimpered. "Please, you have to try harder. I understand it's hard, but it's only going to get worse. The darkness from other people's hearts will become unbearable, diminishing the light in you. Once the light is destroyed, _all_ you will be is darkness. And once that happens, you'll, you'll…" But she was sobbing so hard now, that the last words became strangled. "…you'll be a monster."

"That's enough, Naminé," bellowed a deep voice.

For the second time that night, the three teenage boys jumped.

Xaldin stormed up to Naminé and grabbed her arm. She didn't resist, but allowed him to drag her from the room and up the stairs.

Axel, Demyx, and Roxas yelled in protest, but Xaldin merely replied in a booming voice, "The Superior wishes to speak to her. Mind your own business."

"Well that was quite overwhelming," Axel said, after a moment of silence. "You okay, Roxas? That's a lot of information to handle. Roxas?"

But Roxas didn't respond.

"_You'll be a monster",_ the words replayed in his head. _Monster. Like the time Zexion had pretended to be Olette. The look on her face when she had seen me kill Vexen's replica. Will I do more things like murder if the prophecy does come true? If Olette really saw me like that I don't know what I'd do. _

"Olette!" Roxas exclaimed, remembering. "I need to talk to her. She's gotta be more than just freaking out. I've been scaring her with my behavior this past week."

"No kidding," Axel replied, as Roxas ran past him.

"Taking your truck!" Roxas yelled back at him.

He opened the front door, started up the truck, and sped towards Olette's house.

xXx

She was sitting on her front step as he pulled into her driveway. Roxas could already tell by the aggravated expression on her face, that this visit wasn't going to be very pleasant.

He slowly got out of the car and walked towards her. She stayed where she was, staring at him, her anger evident in her normally cheerful eyes.

Roxas stuck one hand in his pocket. With his other he ran his fingers nervously through his hair.

When they had been younger, it had taken something very big to make Olette mad. But, when she was it was, it something terrible to behold.

"Olette, I'm sorry," he told her, meaning it with every ounce of his heart.

For a few minutes she remained silent. Then, taking him by surprise, she stood up and threw her arms around his neck. Roxas wrapped his arms around her waist and held her to him.

After a minute she pulled back. Her eyes were still angry, contradicting the slight smile on her face.

"Don't ever do that again," Olette said forcefully. "Axel calls me up, says you've left and hasn't been heard from for hours, asking if you were with me. We were all trying to contact you, but you never responded. And then you don't show up, until a day later!"

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

"I know you are."

"Do you forgive me?" he asked.

Olette frowned and sat back down on the step, cradling her head in her hands. "Honestly, Roxas? I'm not sure if I can. Before when you told me that there was something you couldn't confide in me, I thought I was okay with that. You're entitled to your secrets. But, now it's just getting weirder. And this whole thing with me seeing…" she trailed off.

"You seeing? What are you talking about?" he asked confused.

"You're gonna think I'm crazy," she replied, looking back up at him.

"Olette, trust me. I've heard weirder things."

She remained silent for a while. Taking a deep breath, she started to explain in a very fast manner.

"It's just I keep seeing things that never happened. There were these woods near where I used to live that my friends and I never went into."

Roxas felt his heart stop. _This can't be going where I think it is._

"But, I keep having these dreams and like visions where I'm in those woods. And so are you." She watched him, for his reaction.

"Go on," Roxas replied, quietly. He wanted so badly to believe she remembered, but he just couldn't deal with any more disappointment,

"But, it's not you like you are now. We're both twelve. And one of these dreams was my thirteenth birthday." She gave a small bordering-the-line-of-hysterical laugh. "But you weren't there. I remember my thirteenth birthday. And it was my friends and I."

Roxas felt the disappointment wash over him, but he didn't show any signs of it. "Then, it was just a dream, Olette."

"No! You don't understand! Oh god, I'm going insane!" she cried. "That dream feels more real though. Like it actually happened. I can remember it almost a hundred percent clearly. The other one is fuzzier. It just doesn't feel right."

Roxas crouched down in front of her. He took her face, now wet with scared tears, in his hands and kissed her gently.

"I love you, Olette."

She stared at him, her bright, green eyes wide. "What?"

"I love you," he repeated.

"So you don't think I'm crazy?"

He kissed her again, this time with more passion.

"But I don't understand. Roxas, what's going on? Did these things I keep seeing actually happen? God, I feel dumb just asking that. How could they have?" she replied.

"I can't explain, but you're not crazy. I swear," he answered her.

"Then-?"

"I'm sorry, there's nothing else I can tell you. You're gonna have to trust me."

She nodded. "Roxas?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you too."

Again they kissed. But this time it was more intense than any other kiss they had ever shared before. All of their combined need for answers, their hurt, and their pure desire for each other went into that kiss.

_**One hell of a kiss, Roxas, **_said the voice in the back of his head. But he ignored it, focusing everything on the girl he had loved since the age of twelve.

"I'm still furious at you," Olette told him, pulling back.

He chuckled. "I know you are. But it's no where near where Leon would be if he had just seen that."

She laughed. "Then it's good he didn't."

Roxas looked at the door, half expecting Leon to be standing there to say, "Guess again", but he was not.

"How'd you know I was coming?" Roxas asked, suddenly remembering how she had been ready for him.

"Axel called me," she answered.

_**Interesting. **_Again, Roxas ignored it.

"Roxas, I know you're hiding something major from me, and I'm not thrilled about it, but I trust you. But I swear that if you _ever_ do something like you did yesterday ever again I'm not going to forgive you as easily as I did today."

"I promise I'll never hurt you again, Olette," he replied, kissing her on the cheek.

He stood up. "I'm sorry but I have to go."

Olette stood up and buried her head in his chest as his arms enclosed around her. He kissed the top of her head and held her there in silence for a few minutes.

"I love you," he told her, letting go.

"Love you," she replied.

"See you at school tomorrow."

With that he turned and walked back to the truck.

xXx

Somehow Roxas had managed to sneak back into the mansion and into his room without encountering a single person. He knew he would have to face them later, but for right now he couldn't care less.

Olette loved him. That's all the mattered now. He didn't worry about the prophecy, didn't fret about the darkness raging inside of him. She loved him.

He laid down on his bed and closed his eyes. His mind wouldn't stop buzzing from the euphoria that those three little words had caused him.

She loved him.

Olette loved him.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I decided that whenever the Darkness is speaking I'm going to bold it. I went back and fixed it in the last chapter.

It was kind of weird calling Roxas, the Queen. But that is the most powerful piece in chess. Still I know somone *cough* sugarhigh-ninja3*cough* will tease me about calling Roxas a queen. :P

What did you think? Please tell me, even if you've reviewed before!

Thanks for reading!


	18. Breaking Chains:O

Hola! Another chapter!

Thx to every one whose reviewed. Special thx to Turner Child for watching my videos. Glad you liked them!

I have a couple things to say, but I'll put them after the chapter.

Really hope you enjoy!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_I flip through the glossy pages of the fashion magazine. Pictures of deadly-skinny girls with phony smiles plastered on their face cover the pages._

_Not my idea of fun, but there's nothing else to do._

"_Ooh, he's so hot," squeals Belle._

"_Let me see," choruses Aurora, Jasmine, and Ella*._

_I roll my eyes, watching my three best friends fight over who gets to see the magazine. I really hope no one breaks anything. My room is slightly crowed with the five of us jammed in here. It's not fair that Leon get's the bigger room, just 'cause he's older._

_Belle stands up on my bed, holding the magazine above her head._

_The four of us giggle madly as Ella attempts to steal it from her._

_I look down at book in my lap, and begin reading, instantly becoming enthralled in the plot._

"_What part are you at?" asks an eager voice._

"_Roxas, stop asking that," I say, laughing. I tear my gaze away from the book and glance up at the boy with the brilliant blue eyes and messy blonde hair, leaning against the baseboard of my bed. _

_For once it's just the two of us in the house. Usually Leon's there to bug us, but today he's out with his new girlfriend. It's only a school holiday, so my parents still have to work. I'm surprised they let me stay home without supervision, especially with a boy in my room. Guess they figure it's only Roxas._

"_Betcha I'm further!" he exclaims._

_I stick my tongue out at him and go back to flipping through the magazine._

"_Olette, help!" squeaks Belle as Aurora, Jasmine, and Ella try to knock her off my bed._

_My four best friends are fake struggling with one another over some picture of some hot actor._

_Feigning annoyance, I ignore her giggling pleas and return to the novel in my lap._

"_Olette!"_

"_What?" I exclaim, slightly irritated. _

_Roxas jumps up from my bed and walks over to my dresser and starts to fiddle with the framed photo of the two of us together._

_The scene becomes static, almost like when the television isn't working._

_Aurora, Belle, Ella has given up on the magazine and are now painting their nails._

"_Don't get polish on my bed!" I tell them, giggling._

_More static._

"_Do you want to go to our spot?" Roxas asks._

"_Yeah, let me save my place first." I look down, about to put my bookmark in the novel, but instead I only see a glossy magazine._

"_Huh?" I say out loud._

"_Olette, can I braid your hair?"_

_I glance up. Roxas is no longer there. My friends are sitting cross-legged in my bed, giving each other makeovers. _

_What's going on?_

_More static._

_When it subsides, the bed is empty; my friends gone._

"_Come on, Olette."_

_I turn my head to the dresser. Roxas is standing there with his hands in his pockets, waiting._

"_Okay," I reply shakily._

_Static._

_I'm no longer in my room, but instead in the cafeteria at my middle school. The seats surrounding the circular table are filled with my four friends._

"_Olette, I'll trade you my apple for your Oreos," Aurora says, a wide smile spread across her face._

"_Not a chance in hell," I giggle back._

"_Come on, Olette. It's such a great book. I promise you'll love it," Roxas argues._

_The full cafeteria has vanished, as well as the girls. Roxas and I are sitting against the brick wall of the school in the vacant courtyard._

"_Fine, but then you have to read the book I've been trying to get you to read since like forever," I counter._

"_What are you talking about?" Jasmine asks, munching on chips._

_I find myself in the cafeteria. My friends are staring at me as if I was insane._

"_Where's Roxas?"_

"_Who's that?" Ella says._

_What's going on? My head is ringing, trying to make sense of the rapid changes of scenery. Something resembling radio static fills my ears as everything around me become static too._

"_You okay, Olette?"_

_Once again, I'm sitting on the ground with Roxas beside me._

_I stand up, my legs shaking._

_Static._

"_Where are you going?" shrieks my four friends as I head towards the door of the cafeteria._

_I ignore them. Details all around me are becoming fuzzier by the second. I focus on them, silently begging that they don't become static once again and change._

_Once I get into the hallway I begin running towards the door that will lead into the courtyard._

_Tears roll down my cheeks to my complete shock. The hallway stretches out, the door getting farther away._

"_No!" I cry out, running faster._

_I have to get to that courtyard. I know he's sitting there, waiting, wondering where I've gone._

_Why was I with Aurora, Ella, Belle, and Jasmine? They're not supposed to be there. It's supposed to be Roxas and me. No one else. Just the two of us._

_That's how it should be._

_I reach out, my fingers finally making contact with the door. Using all my adrenaline, I push it open. He's going to be sitting there, waiting for me. I know he is. He has to be._

_But the courtyard is empty._

_No one is there. _

_Not even the twelve year old boy with the electric blue eyes._

_I walk over to where he should be sitting and lean up against the wall. Sliding to the ground I close my eyes and pull my knees to my chest, bury my face in my arms._

"_The chains are becoming weaker. Soon they will break entirely," says a soft voice._

"_Go away, Naminé," I reply without even having to look up._

"_They're breaking," she repeats. "Once they have snapped nothing will be the same. Are you ready for that, Olette? Are you ready to lose that naïve innocence of that lost year that you have now. Do you want to know the dark truth about Roxas?"_

"_Leave me alone!" I shout, looking up._

_But Naminé isn't standing there. And I'm no longer in the courtyard, but instead the clearing._

_Roxas smirks at me, leaning against a tree with his arms folded across his chest._

_It's not the boy I was looking for. The boy so full of mirth and innocence._

_But instead the man. His eyes are hardened as he watches me. I can still faintly see the pink scar on his cheek._

_And once I've stood up I realize I'm no longer my twelve year old self as I had been earlier, but instead eighteen._

"_This isn't how it's supposed to be," I say._

_He doesn't say anything, but continues to stare at me with those horribly cold eyes._

"_And you're not my Roxas." _

_That causes him to react. He steps away from the tree and walks toward me. _

"_What do you mean?" he asks._

_I stare into his eyes, watching as they slowly turn to that dark purple with swirly deep blue color. _

_The scene goes static._

_I'm standing in my room like I was before, leaning against the door. Suddenly I'm aware that it's my old room from my old house. Jasmine, Aurora, Ella, and Belle are on the floor, painting their toes. The smell of the polish wafts up my nose making me gag._

_Static._

_I'm leaning against the tree with Roxas standing in front of me._

_His eyes that eerie purple color. A sinister smile on his darkened face._

"_You're not my Roxas," I repeat louder this time._

_He laughs; a foreign malicious sound. _

"_Yes and no," he replies. "I'm what your fear about Roxas."_

"_What?"_

"_Despite what you tell him, there's still that doubt in the back of your mind. You don't trust him a hundred percent. And because you don't understand him, you fear him quite a bit."_

_Static._

"_Why are you over there?" asks Aurora. "Sit, so I can paint your nails!"_

_I take a step toward them._

_Static._

_I'm mere inches away from Roxas._

_My Roxas. The one with the harsh eyes has gone, leaving behind the warm, smiling one standing before me._

_He reaches out and trails his finger down my cheek._

_Static._

"_What _are_ you doing, Olette? Hurry up!"_

_Static._

_Roxas wraps his arms around me and I bury my face in his chest_

_Static._

"_Olette!" the four girls shout in unison._

_I catch myself before toppling over forward. There's no one there holding me._

_Static._

_Back in Roxas' arms._

_Static._

"_Olette!" they shriek. "What's wrong with you?"_

_My head hurts. There's so much noise. Why can't they hear it?_

"_Olette!" they yell._

_Stop! Just stop! Make the static go away!_

"_Olette?"_

_Without even realizing how I got there, I find myself on my knees, clutching my hands to my ears. The moist grass is penetrating through my jeans, chilling me._

_A shiver travels up my spine as the static goes silent._

"_Olette?" Roxas repeats, as I sense him kneeling down next to me. "What's wrong?"_

_Opening my eyes I fling my arms around his neck. He jumps slightly at my sudden movement, but he hugs me back, holding me tightly to him._

"_Olette, please stop crying," he soothes._

_Up until that point I hadn't even noticed the warm tears trickling down my cheek. But they moment he points them out, I start to cry harder, letting loose deep sobs._

"_It's all right. Everything's okay, Sweetie."_

"_Why won't you tell me what's going on?" I ask, pulling away from him. "You told me to trust you so I have. But you won't tell me anything other than that. 'Trust me.' 'I promise everything's fine.' Can't you say anything else?"_

"_No," he answers, shaking his head remorsefully._

"_Why not?" I shoot back, not even attempting to hide the anger his reply had triggered._

_Roxas pulls me to him._

"'_Cause this is just a dream," he whispers into my ear. "And you're just about to wake up."_

_Static._

xXx

Olette let out a yelp as she jolted awake. The rain pelting against her window seemed to be in sync with her rapid heartbeat. She sat up, not bothering to turn on her lamp, instead opting to sit in the darkness. As her eyes adjusted she noticed how creepy her room looked without the lights on. Eerie shadows were cast on her walls by various objects in the room. Her normally cute stuffed animals looked menacing. Finally it was too much for her. Feeling like a baby, she turned on her lamp.

Her heartbeat had yet to slow down. She didn't understand why the dream freaked her out so much.

Was it the evil looking Roxas? Or the static that caused everything to change? Whatever it was, it had woken Olette up an hour before her alarm clock was set to go off.

She knew it would be futile to try to fall back asleep. She'd probably only manage it ten minutes before her obnoxious alarm would blare.

_Guess I'll just have to find something to occupy me, _she thought, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing up.

Taking her time with a shower, she went over every detail she could remember from her dream.

_I almost miss the ones were I was running after him without even knowing his face._

She got out and put on her uniform. Twenty minutes later her hair and teeth were brushed, her backpack was all ready, and she'd even made her bed. There was still over an hour until she had to catch the bus.

"What to do?" she whispered out loud. Why she felt the need to be quiet, she had no clue. It wasn't like she could wake her parents up. Her mom was visiting her sister and her dad was on a business trip. Leon wasn't at the house either. He had offered to stay over so Olette would feel safer, but she declined; he had enough on his plate.

But perhaps it was because the house was so empty; she didn't want to make a lot of noise. It was still pouring outside. Olette normally loved the sound of the rain, but now it just made her feel edgy.

She walked throughout the house, turning on every light she could think of. Her parents would be mad at her for wasting electricity, but it made her feel somewhat less alone.

_Maybe I can call Roxas? _she already had her phone out and her fingers ready to dial, when she thought better of it.

Roxas had been acting really weird for the past week. Ever since he had disappeared for that one day.

Olette smiled to herself, remembering when they had told each other they loved one another. Those words had warmed her whole body. She had felt like she had just stuck her fingers in an electrical socket.

The smile fell from her face however, when she also remembered what they also had said. She had told him about her dreams and random flashes. To her complete shock he hadn't called her crazy or broken up with her. Instead he had acted like it was no big deal. Almost as if she had told him about some book she had just finished.

"_I can't explain, but you're not crazy. I swear,"_ he had told her. _"You're gonna have to trust me."_

And she had. They had kissed everything from the past day forgotten. He then left. She remembered thinking, _Everything's going to return to normal now. Everything's going to be okay._

And then she had remembered doing a little happy dance. That night she could barely even sleep; the euphoria from him saying he loved her, kept her awake until the late hours of the morning.

Monday morning everything had been okay. Better than okay. Roxas was smiling and joking around like he normally did. But lunch was a different story. He barely cracked a smile and when it he did, it was because Olette had asked him if anything was wrong seconds before. And then halfway through Axel telling them the latest school play horror story, Roxas had stood up, muttered something about forgetting a meeting with a teacher, and left.

No goodbye. No kiss. He hadn't even glanced at Olette before hurry back inside the building.

Axel had sat dumfounded before hurriedly finishing his story. Pence and Hayner had then started discussing their weekends, but Olette didn't grasp anything they were saying. She wasn't the only one either. Axel had remained silent the rest of the lunch, looking deep in though. The other two had continued taking, naively oblivious to the Olette's mood.

The next three days had been the exact same. One moment Roxas was cheerful and social, the next he was as if he were a different person. At first he'd apologize to Olette, claiming he felt sick. But the last day, he didn't even bother with that. Nor did he call like he did every other day. Olette had decided not to call him.

If he needed a little space to himself, then she wasn't going to be the clingy girlfriend to deprive him of that.

But despite her trying to deny the gnawing feeling in her gut, she couldn't shake the idea that maybe the reason for his cold behavior was that he regretted saying he loved her.

Sitting on the comfiest chair in the living room, she tried to relax. But it was almost impossible to do so. Every squeak and creak in the house made her jump. Finally after staring at the ceiling, she stood up and grudgingly went around the house to turn off the lights. Once that was done there was five minutes until the time she normally left for the bus.

And even though it was raining cats and dogs outside, she grabbed her backpack and went out the front door, locking it behind her.

The overhang over the porch shielded her from the rain, as she stood there, wishing she could be back in the warm, dry house. Then, taking a deep breath, she stepped off the protected porch, wearing only a shiny green raincoat to resist the wet. In less then five seconds she was completely drenched. Her hair, skirt, shirt, and the raincoat were plastered to her body.

It was uncharacteristically freezing as she made her way to the bus stop. There were a few other kids at the corner, huddled under a few umbrellas.

_I'm such a moron. Why the hell did I not grab an umbrella? _she swore bitterly at herself.

Once she got closer, someone under one of the umbrellas waved for her to come over. It took Olette a few seconds to realize it was Jessie, wearing so much rain gear she was barley recognizable.

"We can make room for you," she said, laughter in her voice at the ridiculous weather.

"That's okay. I'm good," Olette replied, just as cheerfully as Jessie was.

"Nonsense! You're gonna get soaked!"

Olette chuckled and held out her arms, gesturing to her dripping wet attire. "I don't think I can get any wetter!"

Jessie giggled. "Guess you're right. Ooh! Thank goodness there's the bus!"

The group of students all cheered as the bright, yellow school bus pulled up in font of them. There was a minute of everyone tying to close their umbrellas as quickly as possible, before anyone climbed on.

Olette sat down in her usual seat and placed her drenched backpack next her.

_Shit!_

While she didn't really care if she was wet, it was a different story with her backpack. All her notes and books were in there.

_Please let them be okay,"_ she mentally pleaded.

The bus started to move. Instead of taking out her sure to be wet novel, Olette stared out the window, following the raindrops slide down the glass.

It seemed to take the bus a lot longer to travel from stop to stop. Which wasn't surprising. With the exception of that storm that she and Axel had made a bet on, it rarely rained big in Twilight Town.

Olette groaned, remembering that because the grass would be wet that they'd have to eat in the cafeteria at lunch. She despised that place with a very strong passion.

Also because no one in their right mind would want to wait outside for the bell to ring in this weather, the students were allowed to go to their classes early. That's what they were supposed to do.

Still it came as no surprise that after dashing across the front lawn with everyone one else coming off the buses, the halls were filled with students. So many in fact, that it was almost impossible to move through the crowds.

After much pushing and swearing, Olette made it to her classroom. It was predictably vacant, with everyone else conversing in the hallways. Well there was one person. He was sitting on top of a desk, a novel in his hands, the water dripping from his hair onto the book.

Hearing her come in the boy looked up, a wide grin on his face.

"Hey, Olette," Roxas greeted, jumping down from the desk.

He ran over to her and kissed her hard, enclosing her in her arms.

"Roxas!" Olette laughed after pulling back. "Hold on, let me put my stuff down first."

He laughed heartily. "Yeah."

Olette walked over to her desk and put her backpack on the floor. "You seem chipper today."

"'Cause I'm alone with the girl I love," he replied.

_So he doesn't regret telling me he loves me. I really need to stop being so paranoid._

A wide smile spread across her face. She skipped forward and kissed him a second time, with a little more passion and tongue.

Roxas pulled her closer to him, his arms around her waist. "Love you," he whispered between kisses.

"Love you too."

"I'm sorry for acting the way I've been doing."

Olette stepped backwards and smiled slightly. "It's okay. I just wish you'd tell me why."

Roxas let go of her and sighed, taking a step backwards. He remained silent for a while, staring at the floor, before meeting her eyes.

"Are you having any more of the dreams or visions?"

Olette shook her head. "Not really. Just the usual stuff." She decided not to tell him about her latest dream with all the horrible static.

He nodded, looking disappointed.

Olette watched him, wondering what his obsession with her dreams was. Sure she thought about them a lot, but Roxas seemed overly interested in them. He would ask that same question every time he spoke to her.

_It's 'cause he's hiding something important from you, _whispered the quiet voice in the back of her head. Olette pushed the thought aside, ignoring the inner paranoid voice.

"Now where were we?" he said, moving closer and wrapping his arms around her.

He kissed her. Olette kissed him back, but she couldn't help noticing he'd avoided answering her question. He was acting so strange. If her dreams weren't going to drive her crazy, then his behavior might be the thing to nudge her over the line.

They stood there together for a few minutes. The only sound was their breathing and the chatting coming from the hallway. It seemed weird to Olette that no one outside had seen the two of them alone together, making out in the classroom. But knowing the students at this school, they probably had seen it before.

But still, Olette had never gone this long just kissing someone before. She almost wished they'd stop. Not that she didn't like kissing Roxas, but her mom had drilled it in her head since she started crushing on guys, that sometimes people get carried away while kissing. And Olette sure as hell was not ready for that.

But Roxas remained as gentlemanly as an eighteen-year-old boy can possibly be when alone, making out with his girlfriend. His hands remained at her waist, never attempting to sneak under her blouse. So Olette didn't pull away. She felt that the situation was still in control.

They continued kissing until the warning bell rang, causing them both to flinch.

"Wow. Lost track of time. Good thing everyone in this school doesn't do what they're supposed to. That would have been awkward if anyone had walked in," Roxas laughed.

"Oh god. Can you imagine if my teacher had come in?" Olette giggled, appalled at the thought.

"That would have sucked. Good thing they're late. Anyways I gotta go to my class. See you at lunch! Bye. Love you."

"Wait! How are we all going to find each other in the cafeteria?" she asked.

Roxas laughed. "That's the fun of the cafeteria!"

Olette rolled her eyes. People coming into the classroom caught her eyes, causing her to glance over Roxas's shoulder.

Looking back at Roxas, she was shocked to see the smile no longer on his face. He looked like he was in pain.

"Bye." With that he turned around. A girl walked in the doorway right as he was in front of it. He stepped inside to let her through, cringing as she passed him. Then he hurried out of the classroom and vanished into the crowd of students.

xXx

Olette scanned the cafeteria, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of Axel, Pence, or anyone she knew. But there were so many students crammed into the room that she might as well being trying to find a needle in a pile of needles.

Normally the cafeteria was full, but because a large number of students chose to eat lunch outside it was still bearable. However the still pouring rain, made it impractical to be anywhere but indoors. So every junior and senior was in the cafeteria, attempting to find a table big enough to fit their friends.

_I feel like a moron,_ Olette thought while scanning tables for familiar faces.

Sure she did spot people she knew, but they weren't her lunch group. Naminé had seen Olette and asked if she wanted to sit at her table. Olette had politely declined, knowing that sitting with Naminé also meant that Riku and Kairi were there. And while she and Riku were cordial to one another and tolerated each other, she had no desire to sit with him at lunch.

Olette had just about to give up and go sit with Jessie and her giggly friends, whom she had seen earlier during her search, when she heard someone shouting her name over the babble of chatting students.

"Olette! Over here!"

She looked around but still couldn't find the source of the shouting. Moving toward the source of the noise, she glanced around at the tables. Finally someone in the corner, waving their arms wildly, caught her attention.

"Pence, you look ridiculous," she teased as she sat in the chair next to Roxas. He didn't look very happy.

Axel and Hayner were also sitting at the circular table. Olette noticed that Axel looked extremely, uncharacteristically surly Demyx, who had been eating lunch with his girlfriend for the past few weeks, was also surprisingly there. His normal faux hawk hair was flat against his head, dripping wet. A wide grin was spread across his face.

"You found us, didn't you," Pence replied, taking his seat.

"Hey," Roxas greeted, kissing her on the cheek.

"Hi. Everything okay here?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied apathetically.

"Okaaaay." Figuring it was just best to leave him alone when he was in one of his foul moods, she turned toward Axel.

"You okay?"

Axel sighed angrily. "I don't like rain. It's wet."

Olette couldn't help but laugh. His pouty expression and childish tone made him appear like a disgruntled toddler.

"I love rain!" exclaimed Demyx. His shook his head, causing drops of water to go everywhere. Axel, who was sitting next to him, got the worst of it.

"Don't make me kill you," he replied.

Demyx laughed.

It was hilarious how they both looked like such children. Axel the whiny, fussy kid. Demyx the one that looked like a kid in a toy store.

"Demyx shouldn't you be-"

"Sitting with my girlfriend?" he interrupted. "She's sick today."

"So we're just your backup buddies?" Hayner asked, in jest

"We're not really friends with you, Hayner. If it wasn't for Olette the three of us wouldn't even be sitting here."

Roxas' bitter words hung in the air. There was no humor in them. They were not meant to tease.

"Roxas," Olette reprimanded. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Not cool, man," Demyx added.

"It's okay, man. He's just PMSing," Hayner responded, causing Pence and Demyx to laugh. Axel and Olette did not.

"Roxas," Axel said, calmly.

"Sorry Hayner and Pence. That was out of line. It's not true," Roxas apologized, sincerely.

"No biggie," replied Pence, as merrily as always.

"Same here. But just so you know, if you weren't Olette's boyfriend I would have punched you for that." Hayner's tone was light, but Olette detected some truth to his words.

Roxas smirked at him. Then turning to Olette he said, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." But she leaned toward him and whispered in his ear, "Roxas, I think we need to talk later."

He grimaced, but nodded. "Yeah. I think so too."

The rest of lunch continued on without any more upsets.

When the bell rang, everyone said goodbye and left the cafeteria. They went their separate ways, Olette and Roxas going to math together.

xXx

Olette sat down at her seat in Music History Class. Roxas was at the desk next to hers. He had switched seats a while ago. Mr. Strife didn't even notice the move.

He waved at her, not looking up from his book, as she sat down in her chair.

Olette chuckled, seeing what he reading. It was torn and tattered; obviously it had been read quite a few times. Or maybe he just had accidently dropped it in a blender or something.

But that's not what made her laugh. He was reading her favorite book. The one that she had found in the basement of a bookstore. The book that she'd only ever seen two copies of; his and hers.

Olette poked Roxas lightly on the shoulder. He looked up at her, annoyed. But it didn't bother her, because she knew the reason for his irritation wasn't her, he just wanted to keep reading before class started and he was forced to put his book away. She herself was accustomed to the feeling.

"No offense, but I'm on my favorite part," he said.

"I just wanted to show you something," she replied. Olette unzipped her backpack and pulled out the novel she was reading. It was the same exact one as the one in Roxas' hands. The only difference was that hers was the slightest bit less ragged.

He stared at the book, beaming. "That's your favorite book, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I lo-wait, how do you know that?" she asked.

"Oh, I've, um just seen you read it a lot," he stammered, a flush creeping up on his cheeks. "It's also my favorite book too. Small world, huh?"

"Yeah, especially since no else has ever heard of it. It's out of print. I was lucky to find it in a secondhand bookstore."

"My mom gave it to me when I was ten," he answered, a little melancholic.

"Oh."

He sighed deeply, and closed his book. "Listen, Olette, I'm truly sorry for how I've been acting lately. On Saturday, I visited my old house and my parent's graves for the first time. It just shook me up, you know? So I've just been pissy lately. It's no excuse for how I've been treating people, though. I am sorry for everything."

"It's okay. If you had told me, I would have understood," she replied.

"I know I should have, but I- I don't know why I didn't."

Olette hugged him. He kissed the top of her head, before pulling away.

"No offense, but I want to finish this chapter before Mr. Strife comes in," he said, apologetically.

"Sure thing." Olette picked up her own book and started reading. But as she read, her mind began to wander.

When she had first bought the book, it had taken only a few pages to fall so deeply in love with it. It had felt familiar, almost as if she had read it before. It had been some seriously weird déjà vu.

Also, what were the chances of her boyfriend both having the same favorite book? Yeah it could happen, but no one else had ever heard of it. Was it just a huge coincidence? Or was it like her turquoise necklace that she now never took off? Everything that didn't make sense seemed to always connect back to Roxas.

Her pondering was broken however, when Mr., Strife walked into the classroom.

"Okay, class, I've graded your projects. You can come collect them from the front, whenever you wish. I'll tell you what we're doing once the bell has rung."

The moment he said that, the bell rang. Everyone laughed. Roxas sighed deeply, but did not put his book away. He was going to keep reading until forced otherwise. Olette smiled at his determination.

"Today will be a relaxing day," the teacher stated, followed by many cheers. "I have essays to grade."

Once he had sat down, the class started to buzz with chitchat.

Demyx ran up to Olette's desk a few minutes later, holding their project. "We got a B!" he yelled, grinning like mad.

"Awesome! Hey Roxas," she said, nudging him, "Why don't you go get your project. Don't you want to see it?"

Roxas mumbled something in response, never looking away from his book.

"Come on, Roxas!" Demyx exclaimed. "Get your head out of the book and talk to us. Hey, that's not very nice!"

Roxas had flipped Demyx off. Olette laughed, knowing he was only kidding. There was a slight grin on his face.

"Roxas," Olette purred, trying to sound seductively. "Come on, talk to us." She laughed, unable to be serious anymore.

Roxas sighed and out down his book. "Don't ever do that again," he chuckled. "You sounded like Larxene."

Both he and Demyx mock shuddered.

"Fine, I will read later."

Olette and Demyx cheered.

"But I'm not in the mood to talk," Roxas stated.

Before Olette even had time to ask what he meant, Roxas had kissed her squarely on the mouth. She jumped, in shock. After all they were in the middle of class with the teacher right there.

"You guys suck," she heard Demyx say. He probably went back to his desk too, but she couldn't really tell. Roxas had just slipped his tongue in her mouth and she was a bit preoccupied.

A few girls around them started to giggle. Feeling her cheeks warm up, Olette pulled away.

"Don't," Roxas told her.

"Roxas we're kind of at school, in case you haven't noticed. Let's save this for later."

He feigned a pout, making him look ridiculous. "Please."

Olette laughed and shook her head. "What has gotten into you?"

"You just make me feel this way. I love you."

"Right you are to," Olette teased. "You can go back to reading if you really want."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'll go give Demyx some company."

Roxas grinned at her and returned to reading. Olette stood up and walked over to the desk that Demyx was sitting on top of. He had his phone out in plain view and he was texting rapidly. Olette hoisted herself up on the desk next to him.

"You could get in trouble for having that out," she told him.

Demyx chuckled. "If you guys can make out in class, I'm sure he won't get mad for me texting. Besides he didn't even look up once during your guys' PDA."

Olette glanced over at the teacher. He was absorbed in the papers he was grading.

"Yeah, you're right. So is what's-her-name feeling any better?" she asked Demyx.

"Her name is Ariel. And yeah she is. Should be back by next week." Demyx pocketed his cell phone and turned his body toward Olette. "So everything good with Roxas?"

Olette smiled and looked over to where Roxas was sitting. He looked so cute, all concentrated on his book.

"Yeah. Pretty good." She lowered her voice. "I'm worried though. He's been acting weird. He told it's because he visited his parents graves, but I kind of got the suspicion there's something else he's not telling me."

"Well, to be honest, Roxas has always been the angstiest person I know. But you're definitely not the only person to notice it, Olette. Don't tell Roxas I told you any of this, but Axel and I are started to get extremely worried. I don't know why, but when he hasn't been around you in a while, it get's really bad. He broke a couple of vases a little while ago. Sometimes he just throws tamper tantrums," Demyx explained in a whisper. "Don't worry, it's not like he's mental or anything. Nor does he have anger problems. It's just that I think pressure from The Organization causes too much stress for him to handle."

"The Organization?" Olette asked, completely puzzled.

Demyx's face fell. He looked horrified. "Um, HEART, you know. Pressure from, um, that," he stammered.

"I'm confused. Why would that put pressure on him? I thought was just a foster home, no offense."

"None taken. And it's not a foster home. More like a boarding school without the school part."

"Okay, but why is that stress inducing?"

"Well, it's, um, not. Roxas just has stress from lots of stuff," Demyx replied, looking uncomfortable. "Hey, have you heard the new Thousand Foot Krutch single? They have a CD coming out soon."

"Demyx-" Olette started.

"Shit! I just remembered that I forgot to do my English homework. I need to work on that. Sorry."

"Oh. Okay." She jumped off from the desk and went back to her seat.

_What the hell was that?_, she thought, bewildered. The way he had so obviously changed the subject and when that didn't work brushing her off with some excuse. _It's the last period of the day. Why does he have to do his homework now?_

"Everything okay?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah."

He smiled at her and went back to reading his book. She picked up her copy and opened to her bookmarked page.

"What part are you at?" Roxas asked.

"Roxas stop, asking me that," Olette said, laughing. The moment the words slipped from her lips, she realized that her reply made no sense.

"Huh? I've only asked you once." Roxas closed his book and stared at her, befuddled.

"_You're so slow, Olette," Roxas chuckled_

"_No, I'm not!" I retorted._

"_You sooo are," he teased._

_I threw a stick at his head, missing by inches._

"_Ha! Missed me!"_

"_Roxas __McCartney__, you can be such a pain in the ass, sometimes," I laughed._

"Olette? Are you okay?"

Roxas' voice brought her back to the classroom.

"Olette?"

"Yeah. That was so weird," she replied.

"What happened?" He lowered his voice so that she could only hear. "Was it one of those visions?"

Olette nodded. "We were in the woods. But we were younger. Like maybe thirteen."

Roxas' blue eyes grew wide.

"That's it. Just us talking. Nothing more. Wait," she paused, remembering something else. Something that had never been in any of her dreams before. A name.

"What?"

"I called you Roxas _McCartney__. _No that can't be right, 'cause your last name is-"

"Dusk," Roxas answered for her.

"Yeah, but you, Axel, Demyx, Larxene, Naminé, and Zexion all have the same last name," she replied.

"When HEART took us in, we all took Xemnas' last name," Roxas explained.

Was it Olette's imagination or did he sound as if more than anything he wanted to change the subject?

"But isn't that sort of strange? Why would he change your last names?"

"Maybe it's 'because he thought it would make us seem more like a family," Roxas snapped.

"Why are you getting defensive? I'm just curious. Sorry."

Roxas ran his hand through his blonde hair, making it stick up more than it already had. "Shit, sorry for getting mad. I don't know why he changed our names. He just did, okay? Can we talk about something else?"

_You're the one who wanted to know about what I saw_, Olette thought resentfully. But she refrained from saying her thought out loud.

"Roxas," she said gently after moment of awkward silence, unsure if she should finish her question.

"Yeah?"

"Before HEART, what was your last name?"

He sat there for a few minutes, not saying anything. His face was contemplative. Finally after a few more minutes of silence, he ran his fingers nervously though his hair, and opened his mouth to speak.

xXx

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ahhh! Cliff hanger!!

Did you like it? For those who review I have a specific question for you. Is Olette a Mary Sue? It's always a worst nightmare of a writer to produce an annoying Mary Sue, and if I have I need to fix it. Be honest. I need to know the truth.

Concerning Demyx's girlfriend. As a favor to one of my best friends I always imagined her as his girlfreind. But I wanted to give her a name and becuase so far I've only used KH FF or Disney characters as characters I didn't want to have an OC character. So I figured my friend has red hair. Demyx's girlfriend has red hair (don't remember if I ever actually said that in the story but now you know). So I made her Ariel. In my mind (and my friends) it will always be her dating her favorite character, but you guys can picture her as Ariel. I've seen really great Demyx and Ariel vids and I do like that pairing. A weird thing to have in an author's note 'cause it's not important, but I felt like saying it.

This chapter was sort of a filler, but a lot of small details are building up for next chapters. Her dream at the beginning is really important so remember it for later. Don't know if anyone noticed, but I purposely wrote "Olette giggled" when she was with her friends and "Olette laughed" when with Roxas. A giggle has the connotation of being somewhat annoying so that's why it's kind of important. She also has a magazine when with friends, and a book when with Roxas. I'll get more into her fake past later.

*I changed Cinderella to Ella just 'cause I thought it was better.

Last mini rant. One of the reasons I feel that Olette is a dreaded MS is becuase she keeps forgiving Roxas without like any argument. Tension is slowly going to build with that problem to make it more realistic. 'Cause I don't know about you all, but if I was seeing visions and my boyfriend told me not to worry about it and was acting weird, I'd be a little pissed. :) So please bear with me. I'll address that in chapters soon to come.

Anyways long rant over with. Thanks for reading. And please tell me your opinions!


	19. Milkshakes Melt:O

Holy smokes, Batman! Tehehehe. Anyways, sorry for the slowest update I think I've had so far. Had trouble for some reason getting really inspired so I had the opening part on my computer for months, but couldn't seem to get passed it.

Thx to everyone who reviewed and thanks for your opinions on Olette.

Despite the fact that I don't really care for this chapter, my editor said it was good so I really hope you guys like it.

By the way, the chapter title doesn't have much to do with the chapter. It's from some song that my friend likes to say dramatically like a monoluge. It's also sort of a metaphor I guess for Roxas's and Olette's relationship. Just thought it sounded kind of cool.

Here it is!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Had to catch him! He wasn't getting away this time._

_I dodged around trees. Their hanging braches scratched my face, but I ignored the stinging pain. _

_Someone wearing a heavy black cloak was running in front of me, just barely in sight. It had to be Roxas. Who else would I need to find? _

_But it didn't make sense .Weren't we passed this? Hadn't we both given up on this pointless chase? Why didn't he just stop?_

_He could hear me shouting for him, couldn't he? _

_Maybe he didn't want to be caught. All these times running after him, I had never really thought that the reason I could never catch him was that he _didn't_ want to be found._

_But Naminé told me that I just needed to keep trying. When it was time I would find him. _

_And Roxas had told me that I just need to try harder. But was it really so difficult for him to slow down and give me a fighting chance?_

_I stopped running, desperately trying to breathe properly. It was pointless though. Any second Naminé would show up and tell me that I need to find him. She would try to convince me to start running again. I'd argue back, but in the end start running again. Then overcome with grief and frustration, I'd give up a second time, only to have Roxas come find _me.

_If he always ended up coming to me in the end, then why did I even have to bother with running until my body screamed for me to stop?_

_But not this time. I wasn't going to listen to Naminé. I was going to wait right here. If Roxas didn't show up, then I wouldn't care. If he truly wanted to be with me, he would be. And frankly I was getting sick of his behavior. _

_So I waited, slumped over with my eyes closed, trying to breathe. _

"_Given up, have we?"_

_I hastily stood up, opening my eyes. That wasn't the soft, quiet, sounding-on-the-verge-of-tears voice I was expecting to hear._

_I also didn't expect to be back in the middle of the clearing. What the hell?_

_It was just me though. No one else was in sight._

_Where was he? I had recognized his voice immediately. Why was he hiding?_

"_Over here," Roxas said._

_I whipped around. He was standing beside a tree; the left side of his body and face cast in shadow._

_That alone would have looked creepy, but it was more so, due to the fact that his left eye was his normal brilliant blue. The other however looked black; although if I had been closer I would have seen that it was a very deep purple with bits of swirly dark blue._

_He was no longer wearing the black cloak. Had that not been him running then?_

"_Which one are you?" I asked, trying to keep my voice as strong as possible._

_Was he the Roxas I loved? Or the dark, cold one?_

_He grinned, reminding me of the Cheshire Cat. "What do you mean?"_

_I sighed, frustrated. "I really don't have the patience for this. So if you don't start talking, then I'm going to start walking away."_

_The smile fell from Roxas' face. He stuck his right hand in the black and white checkered jacket he was wearing and pulled something small out._

"_Here, take this," he said, holding the small object out._

_I moved toward him until we were about five feet away._

_He tossed me the small object and I caught it with one hand. I opened my palm._

"_A ring?" I replied, staring at the tiny, black object._

"_Yeah, here's another one." He reached into his pocket again and pulled out another ring, this time a white one. Then he tossed it to me._

"_These are yours. I've never seen you not wearing them. Why are you showing them to me?"_

"_Didn't you ever think that the fact I wear these was weird?" he asked. _

"_Guys wear rings and other jewelry all the time," I answered._

"_True, but I don't wear any other kind. Not even different rings. Just these two," he replied. "These were also on the hand holding yours in those flickers you saw a while back."_

"_Oh yeah. I had forgotten about those. They seemed so normal compared to other things I've seen."_

_Roxas smirked at me. "I bet. Driving you crazy, aren't they? Seeing things that you believe never happened. But deep down, you know they did."_

_I stepped back in shock. "That's impossible. Sure, these visions or hallucinations seem real, but they can't be. They shouldn't exist. They _can't_ exist."_

"_You sure about that? You're having _visions,_ Olette. That by itself shouldn't be happening, yet it still is. Do you really think that what you've seen could have never happened? Didn't you wonder why Roxas fell for you so suddenly? Or why the moment you saw him you felt the need to be with him? There is no such thing as love at first sight," he stated._

"_Ah, it's a comfort to know you don't believe in romantic notions," I replied sarcastically. _

_He stepped toward me, a sly grin spreading across his face. Then catching me completely off guard he unexpectedly wrapped his arms around my waist and yanked me to him._

"_Ahh!" I shrieked. _

_Roxas chuckled. Our faces were mere inches apart, out noses brushing up against one another's._

_I stared into his eyes; the one brilliant blue and the dark purple. As freighting as the almost black looking eye looked from afar, once you noticed the different tints and shades of blues, swirling in a pool of the darkest purple possible, they were absolutely breathtaking. Although I preferred the bright blue ones._

"_To answer your question from earlier," Roxas breathed, "I am both. The light and the darkness."_

xXx

Olette woke up, but didn't open her eyes. She laid there, all curled up under the blankets, just listening to the various sounds.

Someone was in the hallway, whistling. A few seconds later she heard a closet door being closed and footsteps moving away from her. From below she could distinguish the faint buzz of the TV.

After a few more minutes of wishing she could just go back to sleep. Olette lifted up the covers and got up from her bed. Then without getting out of her pajamas which consisted of boxer shorts and a tank top, she left her room and slowly made her way down the stairs.

She could smell the mouthwatering sent of bacon coming from the kitchen as well as hear someone moving around in the kitchen, singing cheerfully.

"Mom!" Olette exclaimed, skipping down the stairs into the kitchen.

"Hi, Sweetie," her mom replied, standing in front of the stove cooking bacon.

"When did you get back?"

"Last night, but you were already in bed and I didn't want to wake you. Now, can you please get your dad and brother?" her mom said, placing the crispy bacon on a plate.

"Leon's here?" Olette asked.

"Yup, he's watching TV."

Olette left the kitchen grinning to her. First her dad had come back home yesterday afternoon and now Leon and her mom were here. Since her brother had gone off the college three years ago, it had been a rare occasion for the entire family to be in the house at the same time.

Leon was sitting on the big, green sofa with his eyes glued to the screen. Olette stood in front of it, blocking it from his sight.

"You're a pain in the ass," he grumbled, throwing a pillow at her. She dodged it easily and grinned at him.

"Thanks. It's time for breakfast."

"Yay," Leon replied unenthusiastically.

Olette raised her eyebrows at him. "Since when do you not want food? All you ever do when you visit is eat the entire contents of our fridge."

Leon stood up slowly from the couch and muttered something unintelligible underneath his breath.

"Big party, aye?" She followed him out of the living room and into the kitchen. "I think Leon is a tad bit hung over this morning."

Leon scowled at her, but sat down without an angry retort.

Olette's mom placed a plate of bacon on the table and sat down next Leon. "He's not hung over, Sweetie," she said lightly.

"Who's not?" asked Olette's dad, coming into the kitchen.

"I'm not," Leon replied. "Just exhausted from spending the entire night writing a paper for my economics class."

"Ouch," Olette sympathized. She went to grab a slice of bacon, but Leon reached out and took the one she had her eye on before she could. He smirked at her annoyed expression and took a dramatic bite out it.

"So, Olette, how's that boyfriend of yours?" he asked, after swallowing.

"Super," she answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Leon's grin slipped. "Do I have to go kick his ass?"

"Leon," his mother scolded.

"Sorry."

"No," Olette said hastily. "Or at least not yet," she mumbled.

"Sweetie, what happened?" her dad asked.

"I don't really want to talk about it." Olette stood up. "I'm sorry, but I'm not very hungry."

"You okay?" her mom asked.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to go read."

She then hurried out of the room before her parents and Leon questioned her any further. More than ever she was not in the mood to talk.

xXx

Olette stared out the window as she sipped her chocolate milkshake. It was no longer thick like it had been when she has first gotten it. But after a while it had begun to melt until it was more like creamy soup. Of course, it wasn't as enjoyable that way as it been in the beginning. Still, Olette kept on sipping it, absently mindedly.

_Why does he have to be so damn frustrating? There has to be something wrong with him. Man, why do I always like the weird ones? Just once I'd-_

"Hey, earth to Olette!"

Olette blinked; her view of the outside now blocked by a hand. She turned her head back to focus on the chubby, brunette in front of her. She then glanced over at the boy sitting to her left.

Hayner put down his arm. "Zone out much?"

"Sorry. Just thinking."

"About a certain blonde with bright blue eyes?" Pence replied.

Olette didn't say anything.

"Whatever he did, he's a douche," Hayner said.

"You deserve better, Olette," Pence added.

"Yeah, now that you're done with that boy, you can see the man sitting right next to you."

For a second Olette thought he was being serious, but she looked over and saw him flexing his arm muscle dramatically, grinning like a fool.

"I see no man," she teased. Then after a moment she added solemnly, "We didn't break up."

"Oh," Pence and Hayner replied in unison.

"Yup. We are still together. He's just so…" she trailed off, unable to find a word to describe his behavior.

"Did you guys have a fight?"

Olette stared at Pence's gentle, brown eyes and nodded.

"You want to talk about it?"

Olette shook her head.

"I knew he was trouble," Hayner huffed. "There's just something about him that's weird."

_Understatement, _Olette thought, _Weird doesn't even begin to cover it. _

"Come on buddy. Cheer up."

The familiar voice was followed by the sound of the door to the diner closing. Olette flinched, knowing all too well that if Demyx was here a certain blonde would be right behind him.

Sure enough three seconds later three guys, one with flaming red hair, one with a faux hawk, and another with messy blonde hair, walked past the booth where Pence, Hayner and her were sitting. They had just barely made it pass the booth, when the blonde froze and turned around.

Roxas's eyes met Olette before she could quickly look away and pretend she hadn't seen them. He took a few steps forward until he was standing in front of their table.

"Hey," he greeted awkwardly.

"Hi, Roxas," Olette replied quietly.

He smiled but it looked more like a grimace. Then after a few minutes of nervous silence he said, "I guess I'll see you Monday."

"Yeah."

He waved before sticking his hands in his jacket pockets and left.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you're an idiot," Olette heard Axel say a moment after Roxas had gone.

"Do you want to leave?" Hayner asked.

"Sure," Olette answered.

"You guys go outside, I'll get the check," Pence stated.

"You don't have to do that," Olette told him.

"It's okay. You guys can pay me back later."

Hayner and Olette stood up and exited out of the booth. Before they went out of the door, Olette glanced back and spotted where Roxas was sitting. He was staring at the table, looking miserable.

xXx

Monday morning came too early. Olette woke up feeling sick and anxious. The worst part was that she knew the reason behind the feeling. Thankfully the brief encounter with Roxas on Saturday had been the last. He hadn't tried to contact her yesterday and she was glad.

Still deep down she couldn't ignore the feeling of wanting to be with him. Yes, he was pissing her off with all his lies, but she couldn't help but love him.

_Love sucks,_ she thought as she walked to the bus stop. _Please be late. Please be late. _

She knew the longer she waited to see him the worse she would feel, but she still mentally pleaded that the bus had broken down and she would have to wait a while before she got to school.

But like she knew it would, the bus arrived on time. She clambered on and headed toward the back and sat. The bus seemed to get to school faster than normally. Olette waited till the front had emptied up before finally standing up and getting off.

She walked slowly to the spot where she sat with everyone in the morning. It was empty.

Olette sat against the tree and pulled her knees to her chest, glad she had chosen to wear the uniform pants they offered to female students as an option instead of the plaid skirt.

She sat there for a few seconds before rummaging in her backpack for her Spanish homework. She hadn't been in the mood last night to work on it, so unless she wanted a zero or to spend her lunch period conjugating verbs, she had better finish it now.

Unfortunately for her she was only a few problems into the worksheet before she sensed someone sitting down next her. To her complete astonishment it wasn't Hayner or Pence, or even Roxas.

"Riku?"

"Hey, Olette. What's up?"

"Nothing. You need something?" Her voice was a little sharper then she had intended.

"Can't I just say hi?" When she didn't answer he continued, "Look I, um, know we don't have the best past-"

"Are you referring to helping spread the rumor or when you tried to force me to kiss you?" She smirked at him.

He smirked back at her. "Okay, that was bad. I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?"

Olette rolled her eyes. "Riku, what do you want?"

"Come on, Olette," he mocked pouted. "I can't bear to think you're still furious at me."

"Okay. I forgive you. Now, what do you want?"

He flashed one of his smiles that would make any girl melt. "I heard we have a big project coming up in Spanish. And I also know it's going to be a partner project."

"You want to be partners?" Olette asked, incredulous. This was the last thing she suspected him wanting.

"Well, let's think about it logically. We're the smartest kids in that class. And I regret how our relationship has turned out. I would like us to go back to where we used to be."

"Before you got mad at me for not liking you?" she replied in a teasing manner.

Riku grinned mischievously. "I want to be your friend. Do you want to be mine?"

"I'll be your partner for the project. We'll see how it goes from there."

"Okay. I'll take it." He stood up, waved, and walked away.

Olette watched him leave, still in half a state of shock.

"Hey."

Olette jumped at the voice. She turned her head, seeing Roxas standing there with his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, hey."

A couple seconds of awkward silence passed by.

"You going to sit?"

"Uh, sure." He sat down next to her, but not as close as he usually did.

"So," she said.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Not really," she answered trying to keep her voice from breaking. Now that it was just the two of them, the tears she had been holding back for the past few days threaten to spill over.

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

"Yeah it is. What the hell, Roxas? What's wrong with you?"

"Everything," he replied softly.

"Oh, don't give me that pathetic martyr bullshit," she snapped. "I'm just so sick of it. You just don't get it, do you? I think I'm going crazy and you're just making it worse." Her voice was starting to get louder, but she could care less who heard her.

"Olette," he began, but she cut him off.

"I asked you you're real last name because in one of my fucked up _visions_ I called you Roxas McCartney. I'm seeing things that never should have happened. You weren't there. I shouldn't be remembering, no it's not remembering, cause these things _neve_r happened. I met you here. Not before."

Roxas listened, flinching as she spat the words at him. "They happened," he whispered. "I remember. It was real."

"How?!" she yelled, standing up. People nearby were watching greedily, hoping to be the first to overhear and start gossiping about the newest scandal.

"Olette," he pleaded, his bright eyes desperate. "Please. I can-"

"What? Explain? Yeah right."

"I can. I will. But not here, please, let's go someplace private."

Perhaps it was her desire for answers or the evident pain across his face, but Olette nodded.

"Fine. Let's go talk someplace else."

Roxas stood up and the two of them walked towards the school entrance, leaving behind the whispering students.

xXx

Olette sat on top of an empty desk in the empty classroom. Her arms were crossed as she watched Roxas pace anxiously in front of her.

"Roxas, class is going to start in like ten minutes," she told him, annoyed.

He stopped and ran his fingers through his hair. "Alright. No more stalling. I just don't know where to begin." He took a deep breath. "I know on Friday when you asked what my last name was, I told you to mind your own business and to drop it. I shouldn't have. But I didn't really feel like going into it in the middle of class. The truth is that yes, my last name before HEART was McCartney."

Olette remained quiet, letting the information sink in.

"So your visions have to be true because you knew that without anyone telling you," he continued. "Everything you think you remember from the past five years has been a lie. Made up. Not real. But everyone involved with them thinks they're real. You did too until you came here."

"Roxas, this doesn't make sense," Olette replied, shaking her head. "It's not possible to erase memories and give people fake ones."

Roxas stared at her, his electric blue eyes piercing her "Then how do you explain your visions? How do you explain how we barely knew each other but fell so quickly? How do you explain being best friends with four girls who had very little in common with you?"

"How do you know about them?"

"Because I was there, Olette. I remembered before meeting you, seeing you hang out with those girls who cared about makeup and being popular. I always thought it was so weird that someone like you would be friends with such wannabees. And then later on when you told me that you five had been friends for years but were now beginning to drift apart because you were so different from them. After I found you in the woods crying over Balthier, you slowly stopped hanging out with them and began to just be with me. But once I was gone someone had to replace me, so you had all these memories with them that never actually happened. Because of them and because I was no longer there the five of you became friends again."

"So you're telling me that my friends from back home aren't really my friends?" Olette responded, angry.

"I'm sorry, but yeah. It like everything else was a lie."

"I don't beli- wait. Did you say Balthier? How, how did you know about him," she stammered.

"Because I was there, Olette! How can you not believe me? With everything that's happened. The book we both love. Your necklace. My rings! Think. Try to remember."

"Roxas yeah that stuff makes sense. But what doesn't is why my memories of you would be erased. Or, how?! It's not possible."

"I'm sorry. That part I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Olette yelled, standing up to walk around the room. "Come on, Roxas. Weird things like this don't happen. People aren't randomly erased from other people's memories. The world doesn't work like that. Do you really expect me to believe you if you can't tell me why or how it happened?"

"They took me away," he said softly.

Olette froze. "What?" she said, shocked.

"They set up that car crash and took me away from my home. The first place that truly felt like home. They took me from you. Erased me from everyone's mind. It was easy because no one paid attention to me. Except for you. That's why it didn't work as well on you. Cause your memories were too strong. "

"Roxas," she said quietly, moving toward him. "Why? Why did they do it?"

A change came over his face. He no longer looked melancholic, but instead apathetic.

"No clue," he answered, his voice stronger. "They just did. Never found out the reason."

"But there has to be one."

"There's not. They're just a bunch of sick, twisted bastards."

Olette stayed quiet, unsure of what to say next. Finally she asked, "Axel, Demyx, Larxene, Naminé, and Zexion were taken just like you. And erased?"

He nodded.

"Let's call the police. Tell them what those men did!"

Roxas laughed. It sent a shiver down Olette's spine. The laugh lacked all humor. It was too dark, reminding her of the Roxas from her current nightmares.

"They can't do anything. Besides, doesn't matter. Tattletalling won't change anything. Just will piss them of."

"But, Roxa-"

"Stop, okay," he interrupted, his demeanor shifting. "You got your answers, okay? I told you the truth. Happy?"

"No," Olette replied, irritated. "Roxas you still haven't told me how."

"Can't tell you that."

Olette glared at him.

_What the hell is his problem all of a sudden? This guy has to be bi-polar. _

The bell rang then, making them both jump. Still, neither moved toward the door.

"You better go," Roxas said after a few seconds. "Wouldn't want to be late."

"No," Olette stated firmly. "Not until you tell me everything."

"Damn it Olette!" Roxas shouted. "I can't tell you."

"But I can," said a quiet voice.

Roxas and Olette turned, seeing Naminé standing there.

"Where the fuck did you come from?" Roxas asked, exasperated.

"Came through the door. You must of not heard me over your yelling," she replied calmly.

Roxas face relaxed as his shoulders became less tense. "Sorry, Naminé. Shouldn't have been so mean. It's just that-"

"It's okay, Roxas. I understand what happened. Getting worse?"

He nodded, looking scared.

"I'm sorry, but what are you talking about?" Olette asked, looking from Naminé to Roxas who now looked as if he was about to fall over.

"Oh yeah, Olette. To answers your other question. I was the one who tampered with your memories."

Olette laughed. "Yeah right."

Naminé smiled slightly. "Sort of anticipated you wouldn't believe me."

"Of course not. That's crazy. Roxas you don't believe it was her do-" she broke off noticing that Roxas was clutching the side of a desk now.

He looked so vulnerable, so much like…

"_Roxas are you okay? Oh god! You're bleeding."_

"_It's nothing. I'm fine," he replied, placing his hand over his oozing injury. _

_I ran over to him and removed his hand, now stained crimson. "Come on. Let's get home. This is really bad"_

_I put my arm around his waist and lifted him up. His weight was a little too much. I staggered, but managed to not fall down._

"_Olette, I'm okay. I can walk- are you crying?"_

_I shook my head, holding back tears. Seeing him fall from the tree branch had been terrifying. And when he didn't move for a second I almost thought for a second… no it wasn't that far of a fall._

"_You're lucky you didn't break something and just cut your self on one of the branches."_

"_Olette."_

"_Yeah?" I replied, puffing. It was hard to support him. He was so much taller and heavier than me._

"_I know we've been kind of dating for a while, but it's not really official. So will, you um be my girlfriend?" _

The woods faded away, leaving behind the classroom that the three of them were in.

"I'm surprise that one didn't break through on its own," Naminé said, watching Olette closely.

"What?" Olette gasped. "You did that?"

"Yes, Olette. You see, I'm a witch. I can manipulate people's memories. Erase them. Create new ones."

"I don't understand."

"I was just born this way. At first I could barely control it, but I've become more powerful over the years. Powerful enough to erase Roxas's whole existence from your memories."

"But why would you do that?" Olette asked, beginning to get scared.

_I know I wanted the truth, but this is too much to handle. Too strange._

She glanced back at Roxas who at least now looked slightly better than he had seconds before. She ran over to him and put her arm around his waist, giving him support.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, fine."

"I don't believe you," Olette told him, softly.

"You never did. You could always see when I wasn't fine."

Olette let go of him and stepped away.

"This is just way too weird," she told Naminé. "I'm supposed to believe that before I moved here I knew Roxas but he was kidnapped and all my memories of him replaced with fake one?"

"Olette, how can you not believe me? You know things you can't have known unless I was telling the truth. Like how Roxas looked when he was younger and his real last name. You've seen all those visions. Think about your necklace! For some reason you know it's connected to Roxas, am I right?"

"Yes, but," Olette stammered.

Uncharacteristic anger flashed across the pale, blonde's face. "Now you know the truth. You can either walk away, telling yourself that we're just crazy, or you can believe the boy you love. Pick one."

Olette looked away from her and instead focused on Roxas. He was now sitting on the floor staring at the ground. He looked up, their eyes meeting. Olette felt a surge of pain as she stared into his beautiful, blue eyes. They were neither sad nor angry, just sort of empty.

She wanted to believe that Roxas and Naminé were telling her the truth, but it was just too incredibly weird.

_Naminé having some kind of superpower, that's almost as crazy as the one time I dreamt about Roxas showing me the dark orb. _

Olette's eyes widened. She had forgotten all about the one vision with the two of them in the woods. Roxas had created that small ball of that swirly stuff that looked black but was really made up of deep colors. It had been the same color as his eyes in her dream as well as the darkness that sometimes swallowed him up.

_If what they say is true, then that vision of him creating that darkness also happened. But Roxas hasn't said anything about that._

Olette took a deep breath before saying, "Is there anything else you want to tell me, Roxas. Or are you finally telling me the whole truth?"

Roxas sat there for a minute, not saying anything. His face looked pained, but it relaxed a few seconds later. "No," he told her, shaking his head, "that's everything."

She stared back at him for a few minutes before nodding to herself. "Okay, then. I guess I'm going to go."

"Wait, what?" Roxas asked, gingerly standing up.

"I'm sorry, but you guys are crazy. None of this makes sense. I can't handle anymore," she told him, trying not to cry.

The truth was that she did sort of believe them despite the fact what they were telling her was completely mental. But Roxas was still only telling her half the truth and frankly she was sick of it.

"Olette, wait," he said, gently grabbing her arm as she turned to go.

"What, Roxas?"

"I love you. And I know you love me. Why can't you just accept what I'm telling you?" he asked his voice sounding tired.

"Because maybe I'd rather pretend the world made any sense. Maybe I don't think you're worth all this trouble. Maybe I prefer my _fake _memories."

The only truthful part was the first thing she answered with. He was worth it. She did love him. But of he was going to lie to her about something so huge, then she couldn't be with him. It would tear her apart.

Roxas's eyes flashed and for a moment they looked menacing. It reminded her of the other Roxas from her nightmares. Olette stepped back frightened, but he tightened his grip on her arm.

"Let go!" she snapped. "That hurts."

His eyes widened and he let go without a word. A shameful expression dawned on his face and he took a few steps back, increasing his distance from her.

"Olette, I'm so sorry. I-"

But Olette never heard what he was going to say next. She turned on her heels, walked right passed an upset looking Naminé, and out of the classroom.

The hallway was vacant as she traveled down it. It was fortunate, because there was no one around to see the enormous tears that slid down her cheeks.

xXx

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What did you all think? Tell me! Please review!

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a year since I started this story. At the time I hadn't come up with half the plot and was still confused on where the story was going. I also never thought I could fill over twenty pages, my goals for the first chapters were at least five. Probalby the biggest thing I never saw coming when I first started, was how I prefered writing about Roxas. I had originally only intented to do one chapter focused on him and not Olette, but I had so much fun writing about him that I wrote another and another until I started to like him better than the original main character. Anyways, hoped you guys liked it.


	20. Losing Control:R

Wow, I can't even remember the last time I updated. Sorry guys, I had the first and last part written forever ago, but coudn't fill the middle. And then when I did I completely rewrote it cause I hated it. So here it is. Hope you all like it

* * *

_Everything ruined. Everything fucked up._

_**Get over it. Move on.**_

_Shut up! Leave me alone._

_**Never. I'll always be here. **_

_**A part of you.**_

_**Always. **_

xXx

Roxas stared at the wall across from his bed.

_Maybe I don't think you're worth all this trouble. Maybe I prefer my fake memories._

Olette's words kept bouncing inside his head, cutting into him with each repeat.

_I don't think you're worth all this trouble._

He winced and turned over on his side. His alarm clock read three in the morning. Despite this and the fact he hadn't been able to sleep for the past few days, he just couldn't seem to close his eyes and drift in dreams.

_Probably for the best, _he thought. His most recent dreams had all been nightmares. Their antagonist the same hooded figure over and over again. His other self as cruel as ever, laughing at him, encouraging him to just give into the Darkness. The dream always ended the same with tendrils of darkness rising up and seizing Roxas, pulling him down until it swallowed him up, all the while his doppelganger laughed his head off.

Roxas would wake up, shivering like crazy, his other's dark laughter echoing inside his head. It was almost as if the Darkness itself was creating these dreams, slowly pushing him towards it.

It had been getting close too. Everyday Roxas felt the Darkness getting more prominent. He supposed it was his own fault. If only he could control his anger better, then he wouldn't be so susceptible. His dark emotions caused cracks in his armor, letting the Darkness seep through. It felt like a matter of time before his defenses shattered completely and he gave in.

But yet, he could-and would- keep fighting it. All along he kept saying he could feel himself starting to break. Yet he never did. Sure a few pieces of Darkness slipped through every once in a while, controlling him. But never did it last very long.

Roxas groaned and stood up. He knew there was no chance of him being to find peace enough to fall asleep, so he gave up trying.

He left his room and began wandering down the halls, unsure of where he was going, but just following his feet.

Everything had fallen apart with Olette. It was all his fault. If only he had been honest in the first place none of this would have happened. Sure, she might have still thought him nuts and stayed away, but at least then he never would have had her. And if he had never had her then there wouldn't have been anything to lose.

_No, _he thought, _what's that old saying? Better to have loved and lost then never loved at all._

Despite that it didn't make him feel any better.

Olette had deemed him a freak.

One of his biggest fears had happened,

Roxas dragged his feet down the stairs. After walking down a long hallway he ended up in the kitchen. He shrugged to himself and opened the gigantic fridge and began to rummage through it.

One of Larxene's house chores was to make sure the fridge remained organized and any old food thrown away. But like most of Larxene's chores, this one was forgotten. The fridge was a complete mess.

After picking up something green that may have once been cheese, Roxas gave up and closed the fridge door.

He sat up on one of the counters and absentmindedly began fiddling with his black and white rings. Twisting them around his finger, he thought back to that painful day a week ago, where Olette had stormed off, deeming him to be crazy. She had been avoiding him ever since, as well as Axel, Demyx, and Naminé.

Naminé had told him to give her time, she'd be back soon once all the crazy stuff sunk in. But Roxas didn't agree. When he had first told Olette about his crazy powers all those years ago she had accepted it almost right away. However this time she hadn't even bothered to consider it before leaving him.

Axel had told Roxas that she was probably just scared. "After all," he had told Roxas, you just told her everything she knew was a lie."

Still, none of this made Roxas feel any better. The one girl he loved refused to even acknowledge him anymore. In the couple of classes the two had together she never once looked his way. It was almost as if she had decided to erase him from her mind all together.

Only this time, it was by choice.

"What are you doing, man?" said a voice.

Roxas looked up from his hands to see Axel, standing in the doorway, in nothing more than a pair of sweatpants. The scars from his father's cigarettes almost seemed to glow in the dim lighting.

"Can't sleep," replied Roxas.

"Still thinking bout her, huh?"

"Along with other things," Roxas said.

Axel sighed. "Look, I'm sorry for everything that happened between you and Olette and I know your gonna get really pissed at me in the next few seconds for saying this, but maybe it was for the best."

Anger flashed in Roxas's bright blue eyes, but as quickly as it had come it was gone. He slumped on the counter and buried his face in his hands for a second. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

Axel raised his eyebrow. "Not gonna lie, buddy, but I thought you'd go all darkside on me for saying that."

Roxas chuckled, but it was devoid of any humor. "Nah, not tonight."

"So is it getting any easier?" Axel asked.

Roxas snorted. "Quite the opposite, actually."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," he replied, sighing. He jumped off the counter. "I'm gonna go to bed."

Then he left the kitchen, leaving Axel behind.

xXx

_Once again I found myself on the platform, starring at my doppelganger._

"_**What? No hug?" he cackled. **_

_I didn't respond._

"_**Aww. Don't be like that. No need to be so serious. Come on, give me a smile."**_

_I raised my hand and flipped him off. _

_He laughed again, this time with actual amusement. _

"_**You wound me,"**__ he said, grinning. __**"Fine. Pleasantries over with. Down to business."**_

_I scoffed. Pleasantries? Yeah right. _

_If he heard me he didn't show any sign of it. _

"_**Join with the Darkness. Give in to your power. Blah. Blah. Blah. You know the drill."**_

_I raised my eyebrows, confused by his bored, nonchalant tone. _

"_That's it?" I asked, incredulous. _

"_**Yeah. Look, Roxas, I'm getting sick of this. Despite all my meddling and prodding, you've yet to go all Anakin Skywalker and come to the Dark side. So I give up. I'm throwing the towel in. Light and goodness has won. Darkness has been defeated."**_

_I rolled my eyes. "Yeah right. You expect me to believe your bullshit?"_

_. _

"_**Of course not. You are you. Don't trust anyone. Don't rely on anyone. Despite the Darkness is getting worse every minute, you refuse to ask help from your friends."**_

"_The Darkness is always getting stronger," I replied, "yet I haven't given in, so I think I'll be okay."_

_Dark Me laughed deeply. _

"_**You're a fool, Roxas. You have no clue of what's soon to come. Sure the Darkness has always been getting stronger, but this time it'll push too hard and you will break."**_

"_That'll never happen," I snapped._

"_**Don't be an idiot. All along this whole thing has been planned. Pushing the right buttons when need be or easing up, letting you think you're in control."**_

"_I'm sick of this conversation. When do I get to wake up?"_

_Doppelganger cackled. __**"Fine, Roxas, choose to be ignorant. But trust me; soon you'll be begging to be asleep, dreaming. Cause when I'm through with you, you'll realize that the nightmare is living."**_

xXx

Roxas read, blocking out the noise of the idle chatter of the other students around him. He was sitting down with his back to his favorite tree; waiting for a girl he knew would never come.

"Put the book away," Demyx said from next to him. "We not good enough company for you?"

Axel snickered. "Might as well be asking him to stop breathing, Demyx. He's off in his own little world right now."

"Fine. Be antisocial," Demyx stated, laughing. "Besides Axel and I are having a fun time debating whose gonna kick Riku's ass later."

Roxas looked up from his book. "What?"

Demyx pointed to a couple making out behind a tree close by to them. Roxas stared, astonished.

"What the hell is Naminé doing? Isn't she aware that they're in public?" he exclaimed.

"Roxas," Axel chuckled, "Where you been, man? They've been doing that for a couple weeks."

"Forget, debating, I'm gonna kick his ass now," Roxas growled, starting to stand up.

Both Axel and Demyx grabbed his arms and pulled him back down.

"Chill," they both said.

"What do you mean chill? He looks like he's eating her!"

"Roxas, Naminé is a big girl. Let her do what she wants," Axel said.

"But, but," Roxas sputtered. "Since when does she act like that?"

"She's growing up, becoming less shy," Demyx added.

"Roxas, we all know you're protective of Naminé, we all are, but you especially, but beating up her boyfriend is a bad plan."

"Why?"

"Cause she'll get pissed. And you'll get into trouble," Demyx explained. "Which is bad," he added seeing the "so what?" look on Roxas's face.

"Fine," Roxas sighed.

"Okay. Oh by the way, Demyx and I both have to stay after school today? You mind waiting?"

"Sure. I'll be-"

"'In the library'" Demyx and Axel finished for him.

"You guys are hilarious."

"We try," laughed Axel.

The warning bell rang just then. The three boys stood up and followed the crowd of students inside the building.

xXx

Roxas sat in the empty library. Normally he liked quiet, but this time is was too quiet. Even the librarian had left, telling Roxas she'd be back in an hour. Technically he wasn't supposed to be in there without a supervisor, but the librarian knew him well enough from all his visits to let him stay.

Suddenly he couldn't stand just sitting there any longer. Leaving his book on the table, he got up and began wandering through the shelves. He was walking down one of the aisles when he heard the door close and then voices.

"That's weird, the librarian isn't here. Is it closed?"

Roxas froze, recognizing Olette's voice.

"Nah. Lights are still on. She's probably just in the back or something. Come one, let's go find the books we need," said a boy.

Riku.

Roxas remained motionless. Should he stay hidden or reveal himself and tell them that the library was in fact close until the librarian came back.

He chose the former, making sure his breathing didn't make too much noise.

"Let's look over here, Olette," said Riku. "I think this is where the classics are."

"I can't believe we have to do a project on _Don Quixote_," Olette complained.

"Why? I thought you liked to read?"

"Not in a different language."

"Oh, well we don't have to work on the project yet. There's still a month before it's due. Let's do something else," replied Riku, in a soft tone.

Roxas felt the hair on the back of his neck rise, sensing danger in what Riku had just said.

"What do you mean?" Olette replied, clearly not understanding what Roxas had.

"I heard you broke up with the loser," Riku answered mischievously.

"Yeah. So?"

"Well, I'm not sure you know this, but me and Naminé broke up a little while ago also," Riku lied.

Roxas tensed up. _That bastard, _he thought.

"I'm sorry," he heard Olette say.

"It's fine. She wasn't the girl for me anyways. I've liked someone else for a while now."

"Maybe we should go," Olette told him.

Feeling something bad was about to happen, Roxas crept silently towards them. He moved down the last aisle of shelves and remained there, watching Riku and Olette through a gap in the books. He wanted to make sure not to overreact too quickly.

Roxas watched as Riku stepped closer to Olette, gently reaching out to hold her hand. A sick feeling spread through Roxas as Olette let him, not bothering to turn away.

"Riku, I don't know. This might be a bad idea," Olette said softly.

"Why? Come on, Olette. I like you. You sorta like me. Why fight it?"

"Riku-"she started to say. Riku pressed his lips to hers. She didn't push him away, but instead kissed him back.

Roxas turned away, not wanting to see this. He sat down, and pulled his knees to his chest, trying not to think about what they were doing. But no matter what he thought about, he couldn't get the image out of his head.

_How could she? It's only been a week!_ He thought. But suddenly his shock and grief turned to anger. _I'm going to kill him. Not only is he with _my _girl, but he's cheating on Naminé. That bastard! I'll make him pay. _

_**Make them both pay. She's nothing more than a whore, Roxas. **_

Roxas could feel himself shaking with anger, but he knew if he stood up now he'd do something stupid. Now was not the time for revenge.

_**Of course it is. There's no one around. **_

_Shut up! Need to wait. Besides if I beat the shit out of him now, Olette will just go running for help. _

_**You can stop her. Come on, make the bitch pay.**_

The shaking increased. Roxas bit his arm, focusing on the pain, hoping it would be enough for him to not lose control. The Darkness was pushing against his defenses, trying to break through. He could feel it getting more excited.

_**Come on. I'm not saying kill them or anything like that. Just make them feel pain, just like they're making you feel right now. Do it. DO IT!**_

It was too much. Too painful to fight against.

_**That's right, give in. Give in to me.**_

Roxas gasped.

"Oh my god. What was that?" he heard Olette shriek. "There's someone here. Let's go!"

"You go," Riku told her. "I'm gonna find out who's here."

"Riku, come one. It's probably just a student who saw what we were doing and hid cause they were embarrassed to catch us."

"I'd believe that if it was a girl, but that sounded like a guy." He paused before shouting, "Come, on. We know you're here. Show yourself. "

"Riku, please," Olette pleaded. "What if it's a teacher?"

"Then they would have told us to stop and leave. No, this is some creep whose been watching us."

"Let's just go."

"I said come out, you sick bastard!" Riku shouted.

Roxas shakily stood up, wondering if there was any way he could leave without being seen.

_**No, I won't let you get away this time.**_

Roxas's knees buckled underneath him and he fell to the ground, crashing into the shelf.

"Ha! Got you now!" shouted Riku, excitedly.

Roxas heard footsteps getting closer to him, but before he could do anything everything went black.

xXx

"I don't want to sound like a snob," Axel told Demyx as the two made their way to the library, "but our school lacks talent when it comes to the theater. Seriously only half the cast of the play can act!"

Demyx rolled his eyes. "I've heard this already. Like a million times. Let it go, Axel."

Axel punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, I listen to you bitch about the school's musical talent, so shut up for a second so I can vent."

"Touché," laughed Demyx.

"Stop it! You're hurting him!" shrieked a girl's voice.

"That's coming from the library!" Demyx exclaimed,

"Roxas!" Axel yelled, starting to run. The two boys sped up, running as fast as they possibly could.

When they got inside the library, they could see no one.

"Roxas, stop! You'll kill him!"

The two boys sprinted to the source of the noise, toward the back of the library.

There they find Olette trying to pull Roxas off an unconscious looking Riku.

"You asshole!" Roxas yelled, punching Riku in the face. "Don't you ever touch her again!"

Blood dripped from Riku's face, creating a small crimson puddle on the blue carpet.

Demyx grabbed Olette and pulled her backwards away from the fight while Axel took hold of Roxas and pulled him off Riku.

For a second the only sound heard was Olette's sobs.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!" shouted Axel at the struggling Roxas.

Demyx let go of Olette and ran over to Riku.

"He's still breathing and conscious, but just barely."

Axel tightened his grip on Roxas. "What the hell happened? Are you mental?" He growled.

Roxas stopped struggling, and relaxed. "I don't know what happened. I never meant to go this far. I was just so angry, I-". Suddenly, Roxas escaped from Axel's grasp, turned around, trying to punch him.

"Roxas!" Demyx grabbed Roxas by his arms and pulled him backwards. When he continued to thrash about, Axel walked up to him and punched him square in the face. Roxas went limp in Demyx's arms.

Demyx gently laid Roxas on the ground. "I'm sorry, but we had to," he whispered.

"What the hell happened, Olette?" Axel asked, his eyes still on Roxas.

"Riku and I were in the library and we were, um," she stammered her cheeks turning red,

Axel sighed, understanding. "Go on."

"We'll we heard someone. Riku got really mad. Didn't like that someone was watching us. So he went toward the source of the noise and that's when Roxas jumped out from behind a shelf and started punching him. It was horrible. Almost like-"she trailed off.

"Almost like what?" Demyx asked gently.

"He wasn't himself. I've never seen Roxas so angry before. It was like he was a different person."

Riku groaned from the floor and tried to lift himself up. Olette ran to him, helping him stand.

"Olette, take Riku to the nurse. We'll take care of Roxas," Axel told her.

Demyx helped Olette put Riku's arm around her so she could support him.

"What should I tell her happened?" she asked.

Axel looked down at Roxas for a second before meeting her gaze with a sad expression. "Up to you whether or not you want to tell the truth."

She shook her head. "No, I won't. Like I said he wasn't himself." She paused. "It has something to do with the big secret you all are hiding, doesn't it?"

Axel remained silent, but the look on his face told her she was right.

"I'll make something up," she said. "Thanks for your help, guys."

She slowly made her way toward the front of the library with Riku. Demyx and Axel waited till they heard the door closed before speaking.

"He really lost control that time," Demyx stated.

"I know. I just wish I knew how to help him. This is getting way out of hand. The worst part is the Elders know about it and aren't helping him. I think they want this all to happen. We-"

He broke off, interrupted by dark laughter.

"Roxas?"

Demyx and Axel watched as Roxas slowly lifted himself up, his eyes closed.

His face was covered with blood from being punched by Axel, yet if he was in any pain, he showed no signs of it. All he did was laugh. He slowly stood up from the ground and opened his eyes.

His now black eyes.

"Roxas?" Axel repeated, fear rising in his voice.

"**I'm** **sorry, but Roxas isn't here right now. Well at least the one you're used to,**" Roxas replied, a twisted smile on his face.

Axel threw out his arms, summoning his two chakrams at the same time Demyx summoned his sitar.

"Stop it, Roxas. We don't want to hurt you, but we will if we have to," Axel yelled.

"**You don't ever listen, do you, Axel? The Roxas you know is no longer in control at the moment. He's buried, fighting to get out. Trapped, aware of everything going on, but unable to stop himself. Because deep down he knows this is what he wants."**

"Let him go," snarled Demyx.

"**No, cause while I might be in control now, I'm just doing what Roxas is too afraid do."**

"What do you mean?" Axel growled.

"**I may be the Darkness, but I am still Roxas. Just the part of him he hides away, ignoring, because he's too afraid to face the truth."**

"You're lying," Axel replied. "You just said he's fighting. He doesn't want this."

"**To be honest he's been trying less. You wanna know why? Cause he knows it's easier just to give in to who he truly is and to stop fighting. He doesn't want to hurt his best friends, yes, but still he's starting to give up. Even now I can barely feel him resisting. Soon there will no longer be the Dark Roxas and the Light. There will just be one. And he- I mean I- is perfectly fine with that."**

"That's it, I'm tired of talking to this asshole," Demyx said. He strummed his sitar, sending jets of water at Roxas.

Roxas jumped out of the way, summoning his weapon. Only this time it was just a single Keyblade.

Oblivion was now completely black with tiny wisps of darkness weaving their way around the blade.

"**This is going to be fun-"**he broke off, gasping and stumbling backwards.

"Roxas!"

"Guys," Roxas gasped, his black eyes now blue again. "I'm sorry, I can't, I can't fight him much longer. It hurts. Please. Help."

"Roxas!" Axel shouted, starting to move towards him, but Roxas straightened up quickly with a malicious laugh, his eyes black once more. He lifted his hand, shooting out tendrils of Darkness at Demyx and Axel. They did not bind them, just kept them from moving.

"**Guess I underestimated him," **Roxas said, clearly in pain.

"You sure did. Roxas isn't going to let you win. He's going to keep fighting," shouted Demyx, trying to move his feet. "And we're going to help him."

Roxas let out a strained laugh, the sounding echoing off the walls of the library.

"**There is no help for him now. Soon I will completely take over. Your friend has little time left. He might have won this time, but he won't be so lucky later on."**

Roxas fell to his knees. The tendrils holding Axel and Demyx disappeared. They ran toward Roxas, catching him before he fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry," Roxas said weakly. "I couldn't stop myself."

"It's okay, man," Axel assured him. "We're gonna get you home."

Together, Axel and Demyx lifted Roxas up and the three of them left the library.

xXx

Roxas sat on his bed, staring at the wall. He had passed out in the car on the way home and now five hours later had finally woken up.

"Can I come in?" asked a quiet voice from the doorway.

"Not really in the mood to talk, Naminé," Roxas said, softly.

"I understand, but this is important," she replied, coming in anyways.

"Fine. What?"

"I have good news and bad news. The good is that you're not going to get into trouble for today, because I've tampered with Riku's memories. He no longer remembers what happened today in the library. Any of it."

"So him and Olette?"

"Them kissing," Naminé said, with a trace of bitterness in her voice, "it never happened. As far as he's concerned the only girl he's kissed lately is me.

"I'm sorry, for what he did to you."

"It's fine."

"You still with him?" Roxas asked.

"Yes," she answered quietly.

"Why? You deserve so much better!"

"Never mind that, Roxas. Now the bad news is Olette still remembers," Naminé replied. "Before you get mad at me I gave her a choice and she chose not to have those memories erased. And I won't go against that."

"Fine, whatever. Get out now."

"There's more," Naminé added.

"What?"

"Olette is downstairs. She wants to speak to you." With that, Naminé turned and left the room.

Roxas took a deep breath before making his way down the stairs into the living room. Olette was sitting on the edge of a couch, staring at something small and turquoise in her had. With a sick feeling in his stomach, Roxas realized it was the necklace he had given her.

"Hey," he said softly.

She looked up from the necklace. "Hi."

"Listen, about today, I'm really sorry," Roxas said in a rush.

"I know you are, Roxas, but it doesn't change the fact that you clearly have some serious issues. Before I stayed away cause I was just mad, but now that's changed. I thought I'd forgive you in a little bit and we could go back to being friends, but now I've decided I don't even want that. It's dangerous being around you. And I'm sorry to hurt you, but it's true. So here," she stood up and held the necklace out to him.

"That's yours. It was a birthday gift."

"I know, but I'm giving it back now. We both need to move on and forget about one another."

"I don't want to forget about you," Roxas told her, trying to keep the pain from his voice.

"I'm sorry," Olette said again. "But I don't want to get hurt."

"I'd never hurt you!"

"You won't tell me what's going on. I want to help, but you won't let me. That hurts," she replied.

"I can't. You wouldn't understand. If I tell you you'll only be in danger."

She remained silent for a minute. "I'm sorry," she told him finally. "I have to go. Please just take this." She tried to hand him the necklace again, but he put his hands in his pockets, refusing to take it.

"Bye, Roxas."

Without waiting for a reply, she placed the necklace on the coffee table and walked passed Roxas.

It wasn't until he heard the door close behind him, that he picked up the necklace and allowed himself to cry.

xXx

_I stared at the stained glass floor I was standing on. _

_It was different from all the times before. No longer did the shapes make up my friends faces. Instead they were just shapes. Their colors were all deep purples and blues._

"_**Hello Roxas."**_

_I looked up, even though I recognized the voice immediately. _

_But like the platform I was standing on, he was also different._

_No longer was he wearing the hood that hid everything but his eyes. _

_My exact self stared back at me, the same if I had been looking into a mirror. The only difference was he was wearing the Organization cloak. _

_Seeing my face startled me. I hadn't expected him to be without the hood._

_He noticed my surprised, his lips curling into a smile I prayed I'd never have on my own face. _

"_**So how was your day?" **__he asked, his eyes gleaming maliciously. _

"_Shut up," I growled. _

"_**Oh, so that bad huh?"**_

"_It's all your damn fault!" I screamed at him. "You did this!"_

_His smile grew wider._

"_**Now, now, Roxas. That's not very fair is it?"**__ he asked in a patronizing voice. _

"_You caused this! I hurt her because of _you_!"_

_The smile fell from Dark me's face. He blinked._

_No longer were his eyes the bright blue that reflected my own, but instead black._

"_**When will you get it through your thick, stupid head," he snarled, moving toward me, "that there is no "me". There is no "you". There is only "us". I'm you and you are me. No longer the Dark and the Light. Just the one."**_

_He was mere inches from me now. Close enough to see the true color of his eyes; not black but the color of Darkness. _

_I swung my arms out, summoning the two Keyblades that had helped me defeat my enemies so many times before. _

_It took mere seconds for Oblivion to appear in my right hand. It was heavier than the last time I used it. Darker as well. I could feel its power coursing though me, giving me more strength._

_Oathkeeper took longer to appear. When it did, it barely weighed anything. The once beautiful, silver Keyblade was dull. It completely lacking the wonderful luster it had when first given to me. _

_I glanced up at my Doppelganger, shocked at the look in his eyes._

_Triumph. _

_He laughed. The dark sound filled the air. It continued to echo, getting quieter until it was just a noise in the background. Yet I could still faintly hear it._

"_**That Keyblade won't be doing you any good. See, even now it is still fading away."**_

_I didn't even need to look at Oathkeeper to know what he was talking about. The Keyblade was slowly getting lighter and lighter. In the other hand Oblivion wasn't getting physical more heavy, but I could feel its power getting stronger. _

_A painful, burning sensation in my left hands caused me to drop Oathkeeper. I watched, dumbstruck as the Keyblade that had healed so many of my injuries burst into nothing more than light that flowed down to the floor and disappeared. _

"_**Finally," **__laughed other me. "__**Bye-bye Light," **__he said cheerfully, waving at the floor. _

"_Whatever," I replied confidently, raising Oblivion. "I don't need that Keyblade anymore. I've gotten powerful enough that the strength from Oblivion is all I need."_

_Doppelganger grinned widely, showing all of his teeth. _

"_**Exactly."**_

_I lowered the Keyblade. "What are you so happy about?"_

"_**I win."**_

_Taking a surprised step backwards, I felt the Keyblade disappear from my hand. I remained frozen, not even bothering to summon it again._

"_What do you mean, you've won?"_

"_**You've given in willing. Don't need the Light Keyblade anymore. You said it so yourself. To me that's a victory."**_

"_No," I asserted. "That's not true."_

_Dark Me ignore me, instead continuing on happily, "__**Wonder how Axel and Demyx will respond when they see the new you. Or that girlfriend of yours- wait, never mind. She's not your girlfriend. She thinks you're that mistake she went out with. Just a freak. But wonder what see thinks when she sees you now. The wielder of Darkness." **_

_Feeling anger swell up, I swung my right arm back to punch his face._

"_Fuck!" I yelled, my fist not making contact with his face, but instead glass._

"_What is this?"_

_I reached out to touch the glass, seeing that I was suddenly wearing black sleeves. Looking down, I realized I now was wearing the Organization cloak. _

_I glanced back up at other me. His face mirrored my own shock exactly. _

_No, this isn't what I think it is._

_I reached out a second time to touch the glass. Other Me did so as well. _

_A mirror. I was now standing in front of a mirror._

_**There is no me. There is no you. Only us. Just Darkness.**_

_**The harsh voice did not come from my reflection, but instead from inside my own head. **_

_**I laughed deeply, sounding just like my Doppelganger. **_

_**No, not my Doppelganger. The laughter was my own. **_

_**Boy, did it feel good.**_

_**I smiled, seeing my reflection do so as well. The smile was just like the one I had previously seen on Other Me's face.**_

_**Only now there was no Other Me. There was no Dark Roxas and Normal Roxas.**_

_**The smile was my own.**_

_**The laughter was my own.**_

_**The lust for power was my own.**_

_**Power I had.**_

_**Power I would use.**_

**"_I win," I said loudly._**

_**Once his words.**_

_**Now they were mine.**_

* * *

Ugh! What did you all think? Tell me!

Also I came up with this idea that I want to use, but it sorta invovles spoilers from the new KH game. So if anyone has a problem with that tell me and I won't. Nothing major just stuff to explain the past.

A/N: 02/07- Eek, i just spent the last day rereading all the chapters and seeing all the mistakes. I'm too lazy to reupload and fix the mistakes other than those in this chapter but I'm gonna tell you some that should be fixed. For some reason when typing the word astronomy, I always mispell it so spell check just changes it to astrology. Why? No clue, but every time you see astrology it should say astronomy. Also one chap Leon is a freshman in college, he's supposed to be a junior which I say in another chapter. That's all I can think of right now other than the one line in this chap that says Axel grabbed Riku off of Roxas. I originally had Riku beating Roxas up and then Roxas going darkside but changed it.


	21. Stranger:O

Wow. Another chap so soon! This is what happens when you're trapped in the house by snow.

Thanks for the reviews guys! Glad you still like this story.

This chapter however isn't as exciting as the last. It's a lot of filler, but it's still imporatant cause there's a lot of stuff building up stuff for the next chapter, which I can't wait to start cause it'll be a Roxas one.

So enjoy!

* * *

_The woods were on fire. Everything going up in flames._

_Smoke everywhere._

_And I was trapped. Stuck in the middle of the clearing, watching everything burn._

_Yet despite all the fire, it was not hot, but instead freezing cold._

_So cold I was shivering._

_Shivering, watching it all burn._

_Tears rolled down my cheeks, but for what reason I didn't know._

_I wasn't sad. I wasn't angry._

_Just numb. _

"_Olette," someone said from behind me. The voice was easy to recognize. _

_I didn't turn around. Just stood there watching the flames._

"_Olette," he said again. I felt his hand touch my shoulder._

"_We have to stop it," Roxas whispered into my ear. "Please."_

_I didn't respond. _

_He stepped in front of me, blocking my view of the flames. But I could still smell them. Could still hear them crackle as they destroyed everything._

"_Olette," he repeated, his bright blue eyes locking onto mine. "We need to help. _You _need to help."_

"_No," I finally said quietly._

_He nodded, his blue eyes full of the deepest sadness I'd ever seen in them._

"_I love you," he said softly. "Always have. Always will. No matter what happens."_

_With that he turned around and walked toward the burning woods. _

"_Wait!" I cried out._

_But it was too late. He had already disappeared. _

_What have I done?_

xXx

Olette stared at the ground, barely listening to what Hayner was saying. She could hear his voice, but couldn't make sense of the words.

She was so oblivious of everything that once the noise stopped, she didn't realize it.

"Olette?"

She became aware that someone was touching her shoulder. For some reason when she looked up she expected to see a pair of bright blue eyes. Instead she met Pence's warm, brown ones.

"Yes?" Olette asked.

"Are you okay?" Hayner replied.

"Not really."

"What happened?" Pence said at the exact time Hayner asked, "Do I have to go kick Roxas's ass?"

Olette chuckled without humor. Ever since she had told Hayner and Pence about Roxas's and her breakup, the two of them (well mostly Hayner) had been very keen on rearranging Roxas's face.

"It's fine," she told the two of them.

"Something tells me it's not," Pence replied.

"I'll be fine."

It had been about a week since she had first told herself that, and yet nothing seemed to be getting fine.

_Stop, _she told herself, _You were the one who ended it. You gave back the necklace. Something's wrong with him. You did it because it needed to be done. _

Despite this logical thinking, she still felt terrible. But it was probably nothing to how hurt Roxas was. He had been missing from school the past four days. When she had approached Axel to ask if Roxas was okay, he had informed her that Roxas was sick. He had not elaborated on whether it was actually physical sickness or Roxas just wasn't up to going to school.

"We're always here for you, Olette," Hayner said, giving her an enormous smile.

"Thanks."

"Hey you know what would be fun?" Hayner asked excitedly.

"That doesn't sound good," Pence laughed.

"Shut up. Sora is having a party tonight. You guys wanna go?"

Olette and Pence exchanged worried looks.

"Who are you and what have you done with Hayner?" Pence asked.

Hayner smirked. "Yeah I know, but he invited me. I guess punching him didn't piss him off too much. My dad made me go over to his house and apologize. Sora was surprisingly nice. We've been hanging out slightly since then. So what you think? Could be fun."

Pence shrugged. "I'm in."

"I don't know guys," Olette said, "There's gonna be alcohol and stuff. Don't know if my parents will let me."

"It's not like you're gonna drink it. Aren't you like the perfect daughter? I'm sure they'll trust you," Hayner replied.

"Well…"

"It could be really fun," Pence said brightly.

_And it is better than sitting home, doing nothing,_ Olette thought.

"Okay. I'll ask my parents. If they say yes, I'll go. Who's driving?"

"I can," answered Hayner.

"Okay. I'll call you as soon as I know."

"Awesome!"

_It might be really fun. Could meet some new people. Maybe a new guy. _

A sick feeling washed over Olette when she realized Riku was going to be there. Sure he had forgotten about the incident in the library. As far as he and everyone else knew. Riku had been there alone and someone had attacked him from behind. Olette had gone into the library to meet up with him for their project and found him there. She had then brought him to the nurse.

For a few days that was all anyone could talk about. No one could believe someone who just randomly attack someone especially Riku. Everyone loved him.

And Riku's current favorite person was Olette. He had thanked her at least a hundred times for helping him. Even had shown up at her house to give her flowers. "Strictly platonic," he had told her.

She had been nice to him, although secretly she was furious with the liar. He had told her Naminé and him had broken up and she had believed him. She had been so hurt that not only had she allowed him to kiss her, but she had kissed him back.

But that was it. She had been hurt. There weren't any feelings toward Riku, especially now that she knew he had lied and cheated on Naminé. What she didn't understand is that Naminé knew and yet she was still with Riku.

_Well, the girl is very strange,_ Olette thought as she and her two friends made their way into the school.

Olette could still barely believe that Naminé could erase memories and create new ones. Even now when she had seen first hand that Riku and even the librarian didn't remember Roxas being there, it was difficult to understand.

That someone could have so much power over others was freighting.

xXx

Olette searched through her closet, looking for something to wear. She still couldn't believe she was going to the party later on.

When she had arrived home from an uneventful day of school she was surprised to see Leon's car in the driveway. She ran to the front door and before she could even knock it opened.

"Surprise!" Leon had shouted, hugging her.

"Hi! What are you doing here?"

"Dad had a last minute business trip and it was some fabulous location so he took Mom with him. I'm here to keep you company," Leon had explained, after the two of them had gone inside.

Olette had told him she was glad because she had been planning to ask to go to a party, but now that he was here she was going to stay home. To her dismay though, Leon had told her that it was no problem if she went to a party, as long as she stayed away from alcohol. When Olette tried to argue that she didn't really want to go, Leon had insisted, saying it would be good for her to socialize with different people.

So here she was, trying to figure out what one would wear to a party.

_Jeans? Skirt? Dress?_

In the end she decided on a denim dress that her friends had forced her to buy right before she moved. It was shorter than she was normally comfortable in, but she did have to admit she looked good in it. And everyone kept telling her to talk with new guys and forget about Roxas. Maybe the dress would help her with attracting some.

She got dressed and looked in the mirror.

_Hmmm, needs something more. _

Walking into her parent's room, she searched through the makeup her mom had left behind. Though she was never one to wear makeup, her friends had taught her how to apply it. She grabbed a tube of mascara and applied some to her top lashes. Not wanting to bother with more complicated things, she decided to only wear the mascara and a tiny bit of lip gloss.

_That's better, _she thought happily, looking in the mirror.

Olette skipped down the stairs to watch some TV before Hayner picked her up. Leon was sitting in the living room, playing chess with himself. When he heard Olette's footsteps he looked up.

"Excuse me, but are you one of my sister's friends? Did she let you in without me noticing?" he teased.

"Har har," Olette replied sarcastically.

"Seriously, Olette, you look really different. Not that it's a bad thing. I'm just debating on whether demanding that you go change into something that is less likely to make the boys drool," he said, grinning.

"Is it too short?" she asked, pulling on the hem.

"You're my sister. Meaning it could be at your knees and I'd think it was too short. You're gonna knock them dead, Kiddo."

"Thanks."

"So, who is this boy picking you up?"

"Boys," she corrected. "Just Hayner and Pence."

"Any of them interested?"

"Yeah, right."

"Hey, you're a great girl, Olette. Any boy that doesn't like you is a moron," Leon told her.

"No, they're not interested. At least I don't think so."

"That doesn't mean anything. If they're your best friends and they know you were crazy bout some other guy, they're not gonna tell you."

Olette's heart stopped for a second at the reference to Roxas. Something in her expression must have changed because Leon then said, "That guy was an ass. You deserve better."

"Thanks," Olette mumbled.

Leon smiled sympathetically at her. "Hey, come over here and give me a hug."

He stood up and gave her one of his big brother bear hugs.

"Thanks Leon," Olette said, pulling apart.

Just then the front door rang. Olette walked over and opened it.

Hayner's mouth dropped open. Behind him, Pence had an almost identical expression.

"That's it, I'm changing," Olette declared, suddenly feeling extremely self conscious.

"No, you aren't," Leon said, coming up from behind to stop her. "You look great. Right guys?" he asked.

It took a few seconds, but Hayner nodded, his eyes still glued to Olette.

"Yeah. Really, pretty," Pence answered. Seeing that Hayner still had his mouth agape, he gently nudged him.

"Oh, yeah," Hayner said, blushing.

"Okay, let's go then. Bye Leon."

"Bye. Have fun. Be home by midnight. And guys," he said toward Hayner and Pence, "take care of my baby sister."

Olette rolled her eyes and pulled the door closed. The three of them walked towards Hayner's car and got in.

"So how are you guys?" Olette asked as they made their to Sora's house.

"Good," Hayner answered.

The three of them chatted cheerfully through out the drive. It wasn't until Hayner parked the car in front of an enormous house that Olette began to feel nervous. She'd never really been to a party like this one before.

"Wow. Sora lives here?" she asked, as she exited out of the car.

Hayner chuckled. "Nah. See all those cars in front of ours? I had to park a little bit away. Trust me, you'll know Sora's house when you see it."

He was right. After walking for a few minutes, Olette saw a house that was even bigger than the one she had thought was Sora's. Everything light in the house was lit up and she could hear loud rock music. The front lawn was full of kids, just sitting on the grass chilling, finding it more intimate than being inside the house crammed with people.

Olette walked alongside Hayner, looking at other guests. She was glad to see that not only was she not the only one wearing a dress, but some girls had much shorter ones than hers.

Once they got inside they had to push their way through a crowd of dancing teenagers. Hayner grabbed Olette's hand and her through he blob of people. She quickly grabbed Pence's a second before he got separated from them.

Hayner led them outside to a balcony that was less inhabited.

"Wow! That was a lot of people!" Olette exclaimed.

"Yeah. I was getting claustrophobic," Pence replied, looking sort of queasy.

"I wish I could tell you it's gonna get better, but unless we stay in the few places with less people, it's only going to get worse. Hey, look there's a few seats. Let's grab them!" Hayner said pointing at a small table.

The three of them sat down.

"If Sora is so rich, why does he have a job?" Olette asked, after a few minutes of silence.

"His dad thinks it's good that he learns that money doesn't grow on trees," Hayner answered. "Hey, I'm going to get a beer. You guys want a soda?"

"Sure, Coke," Pence answered.

"No, thanks."

"Okay." Hayner got up and left.

"Hayner drinks?" Olette asked,

"Occasionally," answered Pence. "Don't worry; I'm the one driving us home."

"Okay."

"Hey guys!" Sora appeared by their table and sat down in the empty seat. "Glad you guys came. Hayner's here right?"

"Yup."

"Awesome! So you guys having fun?"

"We just got here," answered Pence.

"Oh. Okay. So I'm guessing you haven't seen Kairi then? I can't find her."

"Sorry," Olette and Pence replied.

"No problem. I'm going to go look again. Have fun guys," Sora said, standing up. "Oh, and by the way, you look nice, Olette."

"Thanks."

Hayner came back ten minutes later holding two beer bottles. "The line was insane. I got two so I don't have to go back."

"Where's my Coke?" Pence asked.

"Oh damn it. Sorry, I forgot."

Pence sighed. "No biggie. I'll go get it myself." He got up and left.

"So, Olette, having fun?"

"Just sitting here? Um, I guess so."

"Oh. Sorry. We could go dance," he replied, before taking a sip of beer.

"Pence won't be able to find us," Olette answered, not wanting to dance.

"We won't go far, come on." Hayner stood up and grabbed Olette's hand with the hand not holding the beer bottle.

He led her inside, near the door and started dancing. For a few minutes, Olette just watched his spastic moves. She never had liked dancing and she was really self-conscious of it.

Hayner noticed her hesitation and began dancing more crazily. "Come on," he laughed. "There's no way you'll look dorkier than me."

"That's true," Olette responded, smiling. Feeling the slightest bit more comfortable she started dancing, though not as wild as Hayner. Five minutes later, Pence joined them, having seen them on his way back to the table. Together the three danced and laughed, having a great time.

After awhile Olette had to take a break. "Hey, I'm going to go use the bathroom. Be right back!"

"Okay!" Pence and Hayner shouted over the music.

Olette pushed her way through the mass of people. It was difficult and she scarcely escaped beer being spilled on her dress. Finally she made it through and walked into the kitchen, seeing it was deserted.

Well, nearly deserted. Leaning against the counters, sipping beer and talking were two boys she recognized instantly.

The moment he saw her, the red head stopped talking.

"Hey, Olette" Demyx greeted.

"Um, hi, guys. How are you?"

"Good," they both said, rather unconvincingly noticed Olette.

Olette nodded. "That's good," she replied, awkwardly. After a few minutes of silent she added, "I was just trying to find the bathroom. See you guys later." With that she turned to leave.

"Wait," Axel said.

Olette faced him again. "Yes?"

"Roxas is here. But-"

"What?" Olette interrupted, surprised.

"-if you see him, stay away. Please," Axel finished with a pleading look in his normally vivid eyes.

"Stay away?"

"I know you'd probably do that anyway since the two of you aren't speaking, but if he tries to approach you, don't talk, just walk away as quick as you can."

"Why?" Olette asked.

"Just trust us," Demyx told her.

"Okay," Olette replied, still confused. When the two of them didn't say anything else she turned and walked out of the kitchen.

_That was weird, _she thought pushing her way through people. _Really, really, _really _weird._

Why did she have to avoid Roxas? Sure, she was probably going to do so anyways, but it was strange that someone had actually warned her to do so. Was Roxas so upset he wanted to hurt her?

_No, that can't be it, _she thought. _Sure he's been acting weird, but I can't see him actually, physically hurting me. Then again he had hurt Riku? But me? That's different. He wouldn't hurt a girl like that. A girl he cared about._

After squeezing her way once again through all the people, Olette reached the front hallway. She walked down a less crowed hallway.

"Excuse me," she said to a group of girls," do you know where the bathroom is?"

"I think the last door on the left," answered a girl, pointing down the hallway.

"Thanks."

Olette walked down, grateful that the music wasn't as loud down this hall. That combined with all the people had started to give her a headache. She needed a break.

Olette reached out, just about to grab the doorknob, when the door opened.

"Oh!" exclaimed the person on the other side. After her shock wore off she narrowed her eyes at Olette. "Um what were you doing?"

Olette didn't answer, distracted by Kairi's disarrayed hair and wrinkled clothes.

"Hello? What the hell were you doing?" Kairi repeated, irritated.

"I thought this was the bathroom, but I guess not." Olette looked over Kairi's shoulder, confused. The room was dark, but from the light in the hallway she could make out shapes of coats.

_What was she doing in a closet?_

Kairi noticed Olette looking. She stepped out of the closet and pulled the door closed behind her.

"Bathroom is across the hall," Kairi snapped before walking away.

Olette watched her go, overcome with curiosity.

_Seriously, why would she been in there. Unless, _she thought, comprehension dawning, _she was making out with Sora. But that would mean he was still sitting in the dark closest. Why hadn't he come out with her? Or maybe it's not Sora in there, but someone else. _

Figuring it wasn't her business Olette turned around and walked into the bathroom. Once she had left the ridiculously huge room, she stared at the door of the closet. Her fingers twitched towards the doorknob, her curiosity getting the better of her. They had grasped around it before she realized what she was doing.

What did it matter what Kairi was doing? Why should Olette care about who was in the closet with her? Besides whoever was in there had probably left.

Olette let go of the doorknob and walked back down the hallway so she could meet up with Hayner and Pence.

When she got back to them, she found them standing outside the door, on the balcony, talking to Sora.

"Hey, Sora," she greeted. "Again."

Sora laughed. "Hi. Well, bye actually, I was just about to try and find Kairi again."

"Wait, you still haven't found her?"

"Nah. She's probably off with Naminé somewhere. Or Riku. I haven't seen him either. Anyways, later guys."

"Bye," Hayner, Olette, and Pence replied.

_He hasn't seen Riku? Could it be because… no, he wouldn't. Not Kairi. Not his girlfriend's best friend. He's not that disgusting. At least I hope he isn't._

"Earth to Olette?"

"Yeah?" she asked, aware that Hayner and Pence were looking at expectantly.

"We were wondering what you wanted to do now." Hayner replied. "We've danced. I drank some pretty decent beer. Pence actually attempted to take to some girl. Should we call it a night?"

"Nah, I'm having fun. Let's stay longer."

"Really? Awesome!" Hayner exclaimed. "I'm gonna go get another beer!"

"Haven't you already had two?" Olette asked, worried.

"Yeah, but one more won't hurt. Be right back."

"I didn't know Hayner was so into drinking," Olette said to Pence after Hayner had left.

"He's really not. Just the few rare occasions. Don't worry; I'll stop him once he drinks this last one."

"Okay. He gonna get sick though?"

"Nah. Don't worry about it Olette. He'll be fine."

"Okay. Hey Pence?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you um seen Roxas here?" she asked.

"Roxas? I don't think so," he answered. "Is he here?"

"I guess so. Axel says he is, but I have yet to see him," Olette replied.

"Good. He's a jerk for hurting you."

Olette nodded but didn't say anything. The truth was she hadn't told anyone she had been the one to end the relationship. Everyone had just assumed it was Roxas and she just didn't feel like correcting them. After all it was sort of his fault. If only he had trusted her and told her the truth. But he chose to lie.

_You know that's not the real reason, _said the quiet voice in the back of her head. _You're afraid of what he can do._

_That's not true, _Olette told herself, _I'm not even sure if that's real._

_Of course it's real. You know that. You've seen him in those visions. And despite the fact that you try and tell yourself those visions are fake and Naminé and Roxas are crazy, you know they really happened. So stop lying to yourself._

_Shut up,_ Olette told the voice.

"What?" Pence asked.

Olette snapped back to awareness, realizing she had mumbled those last words out loud.

"Um, never mind," she replied.

_Great, now I'm talking to myself. That's not good. Need to stop._

"You okay, Olette?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Actually, I'm going to go get a soda. Be right back."

She reentered the house and maneuvered her way through the mass of people that had thankfully gotten slightly smaller.

She entered the kitchen, which was now completely empty. Grabbing a soda out of the fridge, she opened it and took a deep sip. It was quieter in the kitchen, so she stayed there a few extra minutes, enjoying the peacefulness.

After a moment of slight relaxation, Olette decide it was time to go back to her friends. She assumed Hayner was probably with Pence and the two of them had just missed each other. She was just about to leave the kitchen, when someone walked in.

"Olette!" Hayner shouted with a dopey expression on his face.

"Hayner. I think you're drunk," Olette laughed,

"Yeah, me too," he replied, slurring slightly. "Guess three was one too many. I just came back for a fourth, but maybe I should rethink that decision. "

"Yeah. I'm cutting you off, Hayner. Wasn't Pence supposed to stop you?"

"Oh, I never went back. I grabbed the beer and ran into Sora again. He's worried 'cause he can't find Kairi. So I helped him look for a few minutes but then I realized I had finished my beer, so I came back for another one."

"Sorry, Hayner, but I won't let you have another one. You've had enough."

"That's fine. You're right. You're always right, Olette." He took a few steps closer to her. "You're so smart and pretty. That Roxas guys is a douche and an idiot."

"Um, thanks Hayner," Olette replied, slightly uncomfortable at how close he was. "Let's go back."

"Wait, Olette. I have something to tell you," Hayner said with a determined look in his eye.

"Really, Hayner I think we should go back."

Comprehension dawned on Hayner's face. He laughed and took a few steps backwards. "Oh, wow, I'm drunk. I didn't realize how that might look to you. You probably thought I was coming on to you and about to tell you I think of you more than just a friend."

Olette nodded. "From where I'm standing, that was the impression I got."

Hayner laughed again. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." He paused for a second. "Not that I don't think you're wonderful, I just don't have those kind of feelings for you. Sorry."

"Don't apologize."

"I think you're awesome," Hayner told her, still slurring. "One of my best friends. I was gonna tell you that whoever you do end up with is a lucky guy, cause you're such an amazing person!"

"Shh! Hayner. No need to shout," Olette laughed. "Thanks. You're a great person too."

Hayner responded by giving her a goofy grin. "Okay, let's go back to Pence. I gotta sit down, before things start spinning."

Olette laughed and guided him out of the kitchen and back to the balcony.

"There you guys are!" Pence shouted. Then taking one look at Hayner, he asked. "Drunk?"

"Oh yeah!" Hayner replied, sitting down.

"Maybe we should go," Pence said, frowning.

"Nah, it's okay, guys. I'll be fine."

"You sure?" Olette asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay. But let's just sit here for a while. You're in no condition to dance," she told him.

Just then, Olette's stomach growled. She hadn't eaten any dinner nor anything at the party.

"I'll be right back. I'm gonna get food."

"That's okay, I can get some for all of us," Pence offered, starting to stand.

"Nah, I think you should stay with Hayner. If he tries to make a run for it I won't be able to stop him," laughed Olette.

"That is true. Okay."

Olette smiled and walked back inside the house. Someone had decided to change the music to something soft. Because of this the only people dancing were couples, making it easier to walk through the room. Olette was glad when she passed by Kairi and Sora dancing close to one another.

She was just about to go into the kitchen when she noticed Naminé and Roxas standing off together in a corner. Both of them looked angry. They appeared to be fighting.

After the shock of seeing Roxas wore off, she noticed something was different. He was different. She couldn't figure out why though. Something just seemed off.

Not wanting for either of them to turn and see her staring, she went into the kitchen. After filling a plate with snack foods she went back into the living room, glancing back where Roxas and Naminé had stood.

Roxas was now gone. Naminé stood there alone, looking like she was about to burst into tears. Olette made her way toward her, but stopped when Riku appeared by Naminé first. Naminé threw her arms around Riku's neck and he wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her hair, sweetly as Naminé cried into his chest.

Olette smiled to herself. Sure Riku could be a jerk, but seeing him there consoling Naminé reminded her that it was possible for him to be a great guy.

_If only he was like that more often, _she thought, _but maybe he's learning._

She turned around and to go back to her friends.

Unfortunately, she smacked right into someone, causing the food on the plate to spill all over the floor.

"Roxas," she said quietly, seeing who the person was.

She looked up and met his blue eyes. Only they were all wrong. They appeared to be darker, deeper.

And cold.

She gasped softly. His eyes were so harsh.

Foreign. The only time she had seen them like that was in her nightmares.

Roxas smirked at her. Without saying anything, he stepped around her, leaving her there motionless.

After a few seconds she finally turned around, but he had already disappeared.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

And Olette was afraid.

* * *

A/N: 02/07- Eek, i just spent the last day rereading all the chapters and seeing all the mistakes. I'm too lazy to reupload and fix the mistakes other than those in the last chapter but I'm gonna tell you some that should be fixed. For some reason when typing the word astronomy, I always mispell it so spell check just changes it to astrology. Why? No clue, but every time you see astrology it should say astronomy. Also one chap Leon is a freshman in college, he's supposed to be a junior which I say in another chapter. That's all I can think of right now other than the one line in the last chap that says Axel grabbed Riku off of Roxas in the last chapter. I originally had Riku beating Roxas up and then Roxas going darkside but changed it.

Be honest: how many of you thought Hayner was going to profess his love for Olette? I thought about it, but figured nah I wouldn't have him like her.

So, again sorry for this boring chapter, but there's lots of forshadowing. Next will be evil Roxas! Looking forward to it.

Also I've realized in all my KH fanfics I have underaged drinking. I do not support underage drinking, just to let you all know. :) My characters are just so naughty.

Last note: I wish Leon was my big brother.


	22. Nobodies:R

Chapter!! I had fun writing this one!!! Although I had trouble explaining exactly what was up with Roxas. I hope I was able to express it well enough...well anyways you guys are super smart so that'll make up for my inabilty to write. Thanks for all the awesome reviews!

Oh and remember that blue haired kid who dissappeared a million chapters ago? Well he's not dead! And he speaks for a wee bit!

Anyways hope you enjoy the chapter! More ranting at end

* * *

_**So much pain.**_

_**So much darkness.**_

_**Guilt. Regret. Lust. **_

_**Heartbreak.**_

_**It's all here.**_

_**In everything. Every space filled with it.**_

_**And they do their best to ignore it. To push the pain away.**_

_**They drink the pain away. Or try to get lost in the music. They try everything. **_

_**But it's still there, no matter how hard they try to forget it. **_

_**They're all drowning; unaware they're slowly sinking in it.**_

_**All oblivious.**_

_**Except me.**_

_**I feel it everywhere. **_

_**And unlike them I don't want to ignore it.**_

_**I want to feel the darkness.**_

_**Man, does it feel good.**_

xXx

Roxas leaned against a wall, sipping a beer. He was watching the dancing crowd, wishing something exciting would happen.

Something like a fight or a public breakup. Anything.

The party so far had been extremely boring.

Well except for a few things. Like what had happened a few hours ago in the closet with Kairi.

And seeing Olette. Seeing her and not feeling anything.

That had been nice too.

Roxas felt someone tap his shoulder. He looked away from the crowd to see Kairi standing there.

"Shouldn't you be with Sora?" Roxas asked, looking back at the crowd.

"He's off being a good host. I'm bored," Kairi replied, a hint of whine in her voice.

"Why didn't you go with him? I thought you like parading around with your property," Roxas said coldly.

"Hey!" Kairi slapped him on the arm, causing him to look at her. "No need to be nasty."

"Why? You are all the time. I haven't forgotten about that rumor you spread concerning me a while back." He paused to chuckle. "I was surprised anyone swallowed that though. She's not the type to put out."

"That was just some harmless joke. Well, it was revenge for her choosing to hang out with someone else after we we're gonna let her join the "Twilight Elite"." She giggled at the nickname she knew everyone else called her and her friends. "Plus she did hurt Riku. He really liked her."

"Yeah, I know," Roxas whispered more to his benefit than for Kairi to hear.

"So," Kairi began after a moment of silence, "you up to continuing what we were doing in the closet? Man, if I had known you were that great of a kisser I never would have called you a freak."

"Maybe later," Roxas answered indifferently.

Kairi frowned. "What happened to you?"

"I'm just not in the mood right now."

"No, that's not what I meant. A week ago you were dating Miss Innocent. And now you're sneaking around making out with a girl who has a boyfriend. I know we never were really around one another, but you never seemed like this kind of person."

Roxas smiled at her, though it didn't quite reach his ruthless eyes. "Ever heard you shouldn't assume things?"

"Somewhere, yes," Kairi replied, laughing.

"Hey, Kairi!" someone shouted angrily.

"He doesn't look too happy," Roxas said, seeing Riku coming toward them.

"What's wrong?" Kairi asked as Riku approached them.

"What are you doing talking to this dick?" Riku demanded.

"Excuse me?"

"I've just spent the last hour trying to calm Naminé down after she talked to this asshole," Riku replied, shooting daggers at Roxas.

"What?" Kairi took a step back from Roxas, giving him a look of disbelief. "After she talked to you? What did you say to her?"

"None of your business," Roxas replied severely.

"It is too my business," Riku growled. "What the hell did you say to my girlfriend?"

"I just told you all I'm going to say. Butt out."

"Listen, buddy," Riku started, a dangerous look in his eye, "I've never seen her this upset. What the fuck did you say to her?"

Roxas laughed.

"What the hell is so funny?"

"That you suddenly care so much about her. You didn't give a shit about her a week ago," Roxas replied.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Roxas said, grinning,

"Come on, Riku, let's just go," Kairi said, still staring at Roxas with a bewildered expression.

"Fine." Riku and Kairi turned to leave.

Sensing what was coming next, Roxas jumped out of the way just as Riku turned quickly, intending to punch him. Instead his fist hit the wall where Roxas had just been.

Roxas grinned as he watched Riku howl in pain. A few people dancing had stopped to see what the cause of the noise was, but quickly got bored and turned away.

"You okay?" Kairi gushed, rushing to Riku's side. "Come on, let's go find Sora." She gave Roxas a harsh look before leading Riku away.

Roxas smirked to himself.

_**What a disappointment, I was expecting more. Oh well.**_

He leaned back against the wall, his eyes on all the people. He could sense their darkness everywhere. It filled the air, making him on edge. He wanted to release it.

Release it all and watch as chaos ensued.

Cause he now understood his purpose. What the prophecy foretold he would do.

And he would.

But now was not the time. So he refrained.

Instead he just watched them. They were so weak. So insignificant. Not like him.

He was important.

Much more important than those losers he was pretending to be friends with.

_Stop it. I care about them._

Roxas grimaced. Despite the fact he had chosen to let the Darkness take control, every now and then the voice of light still whispered to him. He supposed that the old Roxas was still buried somewhere, being smothered by Darkness, trying to regain control. But he wouldn't let him.

He had thought that if he gave in he'd be rid of pointless feelings such as guilt, pain, and compassion. But no, the old Roxas was still there. And he still cared about Axel and the others.

_**Shut up. Leave me alone**_

The voice didn't respond. Roxas wasn't surprised. It usually only said a few words before fading away.

Still, it was annoying.

He had chosen the dark. The light should just leave him alone.

Roxas took another sip of beer. He found it funny that before he hadn't been able to even stand the smell of alcohol. Yet somehow he had managed to acquire a taste for it.

He felt another tap on his shoulder.

"Not, now Ka…" he trailed off seeing it was Axel.

Axel pointed at the stairs leading upstairs. "We need to talk."

Roxas smirked, but headed toward the stairs.

"In here," Axel told him once they had gone upstairs.

Roxas entered the room Axel had indicated.

Seeing Demyx sitting on the bed Roxas remarked, "Demyx is here. Now it's a party."

"Shut up, Roxas," Demyx replied, annoyed.

"Something wrong?" Roxas asked with a smirk.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, man?" Axel snarled.

"What ever do you mean?" Roxas gave them a smile with no warmth in it before lifting the beer bottle to his lips.

But before he could take a sip, Axel grabbed the bottle from his grasp.

"Hey!"

"Roxas you don't drink. I've never seen you do so. _Ever_," Axel replied.

"What's your point?" Roxas asked.

"Dude, this past week you haven't been yourself. I know you're upset about Ol-"

"Shut up, Demyx" Roxas snarled.

"No," Axel said forcefully. "We're not going to shut up. Something's wrong. And we _will_ help you."

"I don't need help," Roxas snapped.

"Yeah, you do, man," Demyx replied. "You that upset about Olette that you're going to be a complete dick?"

"I'm not upset about Olette. I could care less about her."

Demyx and Axel exchanged worried looks. Sure, they didn't expect Roxas to be very happy with Olette but to say what he just had was out of character. And it hadn't sounded like a lie he told because he was hurt. It had sounded like he truly meant it.

"Who are you?" Axel asked Roxas.

Roxas laughed without humor.

"Seriously, Roxas. What you just said, isn't you. What the hell happened to you?" Demyx asked.

"Nothing. Nothing is wrong with me."

"Yes, something is. Everything is. You looked in the mirror lately? Cause it's not just your personality that's changed," Demyx replied.

"What the hell do mean by that?"

"The Roxas we know is warm. He looks approachable. But not you. Everything is different. Your smile. Your eyes. It's all wrong," Axel explained.

"My smile? My eyes? Do you guys realize how stupid that sounds? Nothing about me has changed. Certainly not how I look."

"Axel is right. Every time I see you I get a sense that something is wrong. It's the most apparent in your eyes."

"How so?" Roxas asked rolling his eyes.

_They're right, you know._

Roxas flinched slightly. He wished the voice would go away. After all the Darkness had fought so hard for control. The old Roxas should be gone. Why did he have to linger? Couldn't he see he was trapped and never getting out again?

_**That Roxas was a fool, **_he thought. _**The Darkness is so much better. No pain. So much power.**_

_That's a lie. Pain is a part of life. The Darkness isn't going to let you escape it. It's all a lie._

_**Shut up!**_ Roxas told the voice.

"Hey, you listening to us?!"

"Um, yeah," Roxas replied, coming back to reality. "Listen I'm sick of this shit. I'm leaving."

"No, you aren't." Axel stepped in front of the door, blocking it.

Roxas raised his eyebrows. "You're not going to let me leave?"

"No, not until you tell us what happened to you."

Roxas laughed darkly. "Whatever."

His lips curled into a smile as he focused on the dull throb of pain that he had constantly felt ever since he had entered the room with Axel. It had been something in the background, yet Roxas had never stopped feeling it.

On the surface there was fear. Fear his best friend was slowly chipping away as the thing he struggled to fight was winning.

Roxas laughed to himself. Axel had no clue that the fight had already been won and his best friend as he knew him no longer existed.

Still that wasn't enough. Roxas dug deeper until he found what he was looking for. Focusing on Axel's pain from his childhood, Roxas brought it forward.

The death of his mother. His alcoholic father. The cigarette burns on his arms. The fact that no matter how hard he tried not to, in ways he was turning into his father.

Everything. Roxas pulled on the darkness, taking pleasure in it. He watched as Axel's eyes widened in fear.

"Roxas?" he gasped, grabbing the door for support.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Demyx yelled from behind Roxas.

But Roxas ignored him, watching as Axel crumpled to the floor. He looked up, meeting Roxas's eyes. Axel's normally bright eyes were dull. Full of so much pain. So much fear.

_Stop it! Stop it!_

Roxas looked away and instead rapidly jumped out of the way just as Demyx was about to grab him. He turned around to face Demyx, collapsing as he did so.

"Roxas!" Demyx ran to him.

"I'm so sorry," Roxas told him, gasping for air. "I don't know what happened." He sat up and clasped Demyx's shirt. "I can't stop it. It hurts so badly. Please. You guy's need to help me! It's too much. Please."

"Okay, okay. Calm down. It'll be okay. Just let me go check on Axel."

Roxas released his grasp on Demyx. He waited until Demyx had turned around before smiling to himself.

_**What an idiot, **_Roxas thought.

He couldn't believe Demyx had fallen for that. Well, Roxas had preformed it so well. His collapsing. His begging for help. Saying that the Darkness had once again taken brief control and he needed their help to make it stop. It had been a perfect act.

Roxas watched as Demyx helped a shaky Axel up.

"Axel, I don't know…I couldn't stop…I"

Axel stared at Roxas, his eyes cold. But it lasted for only a moment. "It's okay."

He walked over to Roxas and gave him a hand. Roxas took it and stood up.

"It's okay. Don't worry about it. I know it's getting stronger and you're doing your best to fight it. Don't worry. We're gonna help you."

"Thanks man," Roxas replied.

_**They're both such fools.**_

"I think we should go," Demyx suggested.

"Yeah," Roxas agreed.

"You two go ahead. I need to just sit for a second. I'll meet you by the car," Axel said.

"You sure, man?" Demyx asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay. Again I'm really sor-"

"No need to apologize."

Roxas nodded, feeling pleased with himself. He knew eventually they would figure out that he had given in to the Darkness, but he was going to keep up the act that he was still resisting it.

xXx

Axel sat down on the bed and watched them leave. He waited until he could no longer hear their footsteps before cradling his face in his hands.

_Oh Roxas, no. Why did you have to stop fighting? Why didn't you tell me you were about to lose? I would have done anything to help. _

Tears streamed down his cheeks.

His best friend was gone. Consumed by the darkness.

_Roxas, I'm so sorry._

He couldn't believe Roxas had given in. Sure he knew he had been hurting, but he never thought he would give up so easily.

"Damn it!" Axel shouted. "Damn it Roxas!"

Unlike Demyx who had believed Roxas, Axel knew better. He couldn't explain it, but somehow he knew it had been an act. Roxas wasn't fighting the Darkness anymore. He had lost, letting it control him.

Axel had seen the malicious look in Roxas's eyes. Not black eyes either.

They had remained bright blue. But no longer were they warm and full of kindness. They were cruel and harsh. Full of pleasure as he watched Axel in pain.

_But I thought I saw,_ he thought_._

Because for a brief second Roxas's eyes had changed. They were how they used to be. Fro a brief second there had been no malice in them. Yes, they had been tinged with fear, but still those were the eyes Axel was used to seeing.

_No. must have imagined it, _he thought again.

Roxas was gone. His best friend was gone.

And the thing pretending to be him needed to be stopped.

xXx

Roxas and Demyx made their way toward the front door.

"Hey, wait. Aren't we forgetting Larxene? She's here somewhere isn't she?" Demyx asked.

"You're right. Let's split up to find her. She won't be happy though to leave so early," Roxas replied.

Demyx laughed. "It's like one in the morning."

"Hey, Larxene would stay until the cops broke this up if she wanted to."

"Well, do you want to stay longer? I'll text Axel to ask if that's okay. I kinda want to. Ariel and I haven't been able to hang out very much tonight," Demyx said.

He pulled out his phone and sent a message. A minute later it vibrated.

"Axel says he wants to go home. He'll pick us up later."

"He okay?" Roxas asked for show. He could care less whether the red head was fine.

"Um, yeah. Just tired. He also wants to know if you're sure you want to stay. In case you um lose control again."

"Tell him I'll be fine," Roxas replied.

"Ok. See you later. I'm off to go find my girl."

Demyx disappeared into the crowd.

Wanting another beer, Roxas headed toward the kitchen. He smirked, seeing there was only one person in there.

A certain brunette he knew very well.

She was sitting on a counter staring at the floor.

Not saying anything he walked over to the fridge and opened the door. Hearing someone she looked up for a second obviously preparing to just look back down again.

She did a double take seeing Roxas.

Roxas laughed and grabbed two beers from the fridge

"Want one?" he asked her.

She shook her head.

"Okay." He shrugged and put one of the bottles back. Using the island he popped the top off and took a deep sip, staring at Olette as she watched him with a frown on her face.

"Something wrong?" he asked smirking.

"You don't drink," she said after a minute.

"It appears that I do."

She frowned again. "Are you okay?"

Roxas chuckled darkly. "Look, don't pretend you give a damn about me now. It's too late."

"Hey!" Olette exclaimed, jumping off from the counter. "That's not fair. I never meant to hurt you."

"You didn't."

"Then why are you acting so cold?"

Unexplainable anger washed over Roxas. She had no right to be mad at him.

When he didn't answer she stated quietly, "Axel told me to stay away from you. At first I thought it was because you were hurting, but now I understand. You've changed, Roxas."

"I wish everyone would stop saying that!" Roxas snapped.

"There you are," said a voice.

Roxas and Olette both jumped and looked over towards the entrance, seeing Kairi.

"What do you want Kairi?" Olette asked irritated.

"I wasn't talking to you," Kairi answered, her blue eyes fixed on Roxas.

Roxas grinned. He looked over at Olette.

Something in his gut lurched as he saw the evident pain in her face and his grin slipped. She met his gaze. He could have sworn he saw tears starting to build.

But just as quickly as the strange guilty feeling appeared, it vanished.

"Thought you were mad at me," Roxas replied, looking back at Kairi.

She smiled seductively at him. "Nah, I just talked to Naminé. She says it wasn't your fault for getting upset."

"Really now?" Roxas asked, genuinely shocked.

Because like everyone else Naminé had been giving Roxas a hard time about acting different. He had gotten annoyed and pushed some very sensitive buttons of hers. He also didn't have to use his ability. Roxas understood enough about her by now to know what words would cut the deepest.

"You know Naminé. She always on the verge of tears lately."

"True."

"So," Kairi said, stepping closer to Roxas.

"So," he replied, a grin spreading across his face as he put his hands on her hips.

He leaned down as Kairi looked up, her lips inching from his. But before they made contact she looked over at Olette.

"Do you mind?" she asked angrily.

Roxas turned his head to see Olette's reaction.

Again, an unexplainable feeling of guilt washed over him. Tears were definitely falling down her cheeks now. Her green eyes, full of so much pain, met Roxas's.

He flinched and looked away, unable to bear the sight any longer.

_**I don't understand. Why do I care?**_

But just like the first time the sensation faded leaving him feeling amused by what just had happened.

"Yeah, we'd sorta like you to leave now," Roxas told Olette, looking back at her.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

Roxas smirked at her and leaned back down to Kairi.

Kairi's lips touched his just as Roxas felt someone push past them.

He pulled away, briefly glimpsing the back of Olette's head as she fled from the kitchen.

Roxas grinned to himself before pulling Kairi closer and continuing where they had left off.

xXx

Axel lay on his bed, looking over the script for the monologue he had to perform in a few weeks for drama class. He'd pause every now and then to check the time on his cell. As of right now it was two in the morning. He was now regretting not forcing everyone to come home when he had wanted to leave.

The mansion was silent. The elders all had left for the weekend on different missions. Axel had never really understood what those missions were. He knew sometimes they stole information and records, but besides that he had no clue. Only once had he overheard them discussing how to plan a murder, but that was before Roxas had joined the Organization.

Axel put down the script and smiled to himself, reminiscing about when he first had met Roxas. At first Roxas barely spoke to anyone, but after Axel had continued to bug him he had finally started to open up. The two plus Demyx had become best friends in a matter of months.

The three of them had been through a lot in the past five years. From typical teenage problems to stress from the Organization the three had been there for one another.

That's why Axel was so furious with Roxas right now. He had kept offering to help, but Roxas had kept insisting he had things under control. But after the incident in the library Axel knew he had to step in and help. Except it had been too late. Roxas had started to act differently the next day.

Axel had suspected something was wrong, but everyone told him that Roxas was just upset about Olette. Still, Axel had kept a close watch on him. Most changes were subtle, but Axel knew Roxas so well he had been able to see them immediately.

A couple days ago Axel had snuck outside and lit a cigarette. He did that often because he loved the smell of them burning, but this time temptation had gotten the best of him and for the first time in a while he had brought the cigarette to his lips.

Roxas had caught him minutes later. Only to Axel's shock he hadn't taken the cigarette out of his hands and put it out, like he used to always do. Instead he just gave Axel a significant look and walked away.

That's when Axel suspected something was more than just wrong. Something was very very wrong.

Roxas's demeanor completely shifted after that. It had been Demyx to first see the changes in his eyes, his smile, as well as the presence Roxas gave off.

It made people uneasy being too close to him. He just gave off some sort of energy that unnerved people.

Axel had to stop making eye contact with Roxas. It hurt seeing how cold and ruthless they were.

_Should have realized it sooner, _Axe thought, mentally kicking himself.

"Axel?" a soft voice said, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Come in, Naminé." He sat up on the bed. "How did you get home?"

"Riku brought me home," she answered, coming into the room. "Listen, we really need to talk. It's very serious."

"Roxas?" he asked, knowing the answer already.

"Yeah. I'm sure you've noticed he's changed."

"Who hasn't?" Axel replied bitterly.

"Yes, but your his best friend. I think you understand something's happen to him to make him act this way."

"He gave in," Axel said quietly.

Naminé nodded and sat down at the end of the bed. "Yes, Roxas chose the Darkness."

"Why? I don't understand why he would," he replied, his voice breaking.

"I suppose it was too much for him to handle. He didn't want to hurt anymore so he chose the option that promised him power not pain."

"There any hope?"

"If my theory is correct, than yes," Naminé answered. "Roxas chose to let the Darkness control him, so it's slowly poisoning his mind, making him act as he's been doing. But I think it's possible there's still a part of Roxas that's pure light. The Roxas we're used to. The good, kind, and caring one. He's just trapped."

"Like in the library? When Roxas was like possessed?"

"Yes. Except this time the Darkness was smart. It led Roxas to believe he would be the one in control, just more powerful. But it's more like the Darkness is slowly taking control of him. And our Roxas is being held prisoner. Well, at least the pure Roxas is. See, that is still Roxas there, he's just slowly declining into Darkness."

"Wait," Axel interjected, "I'm confused. Is he possessed and trapped or he's just turning evil?

"A little bit of both. Like I said, the Darkness is poisoning him. Making him think and do things he normally wouldn't. The part that's trapped is Light. You know, the Roxas that cares about other people and believes in doing the right thing. It's like he's been split into Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The good is all buried deep down, while the bad is everything we've been seeing," she explained.

"Anyway to save him?"

"I don't know. The problem is Roxas is heading toward what the elders have wanted him to."

"You mean the Prophecy? Come on, Naminé, tell me what it says. I know that you know," Axel said with a pleading look in his bright green eyes.

"I- I can't" she stammered. "If they find out-"

"I'll protect you. Demyx and I will protect you. Please. I'm begging you. What does it say?"

She remained silent for a moment.

"Okay, I'll tell you. It tells of someone like us who will bring chaos to the world. Bring it into darkness."

"But why?"

"Axel, people with abilities like us have been around since forever. You know things like the witch trials? Sure, a bunch of it was just hysteria, but they did persecute people who were too carless to hide their abilities. Xemnas isn't the first to gather those with these powers. For centuries those like us have tried to take revenge for the way we've been treated. Yes, they got better at hiding what they were but they were sick of hiding. They wanted things to change. So they got together to plan. Only no one could really do anything on a major scale, so they didn't accomplish anything. But then, someone predicted that one day there would be someone who could conquer."

"So the Prophecy?"

"Yeah, I guess someone could sense the future and they wrote down what they thought was coming. Then that got passed down until Xemnas got a hold of it. At first he just wanted to train those like us-"

"They have a name for us, you know" interrupted a flat voice.

Naminé and Axel looked over at the doorway. Zexion stood there, his blue hair covering half his face.

"What?" Naminé asked confused.

"You keep saying 'people like us'. There's a name for our kind," Zexion replied, entering the room. "You know that before you all came here, they believed I had a chance of being the chosen one. I could make tons of people see horrific things. So they trained me to be the one to fulfill the Nobodies' destiny. That's the name of our kind. Nobodies. Because people would prefer we didn't exist."

"How do you know all this?" Axel asked.

"Well, unlike Naminé who just goes inside people's heads to get her knowledge, I was taught this stuff. Before, when I was the only kid here, they taught all this history."

"Why didn't they teach the rest of us?"

"Unlike you lot who only cared about going back to your families when the Organization took you, I wanted to know more. You see even at the age of five when I first discovered what I could do, I had an abnormally higher intelligence compared to others my age. I was hungry for knowledge. By the time I was six the hunger for answers was immense. When they first brought me here I demanded to be taught. I knew I was different, and I wanted to know about the others like me," Zexion explained in a rather proud tone.

Axel rolled his eyes. "Yeah I remember you as the teacher's pet."

Zexion narrowed his eyes, but continued on as if Axel hadn't spoken, "So the elders taught me because I wanted to learn. Besides I was more powerful than the kid who could set things on fire and the one who liked to get everything wet. So they just physically trained you. But not me, they taught me everything they could. Well," Zexion paused his voice becoming somber, "they did until Roxas showed up. Before, they figured the word 'Darkness' in the prophecy was just a metaphor. But no, here comes along a kid who can control it. He became the new favorite." Zexion laughed without any humor. "I was glad though when they were so frustrated by his lack of motivation. He could care less about the history or anything. They were severely disappointed in him."

"Because unlike them, Roxas actually had a heart," Axel replied.

Zexion sighed. "You all think the Organization are terrible people. I suppose in a way they are. But they're my family and they've always treated me with respect." He turned to leave. "By the way the elders will be gone for a few days and they've put me in charge." With that he left.

"Great," Axel muttered. "Now what were you saying?"

"Um, hold on, I forget. Oh wait! Okay, so Xemnas first started just wanting to help um, Nobodies. That was the second generation. He and his friend's found all these orphan kids and helped them," Naminé began.

"So the Organization wasn't always about taking over the world? Can't really believe that they intended to do good."

"Well, things change. Xemnas discovered the prophecy. It drove him crazy. He wanted to be the one to discover the "Chosen One" and to be his mentor. But unlike the first group, all the kids Xemnas found with abilities all had parents. So, well you know what happened."

"Yeah. Naminé how do you know all this stuff?"

"Like Zexion said, I um sorta read memories of the elders. I was curious about the things they let you all do. And jealous. But I went too far and discovered all this information."

"Jealous? Of us?"

"Well, yeah. They thought me too weak to be anything more than a pawn. I've always wanted to be like you guys."

"Hey, if I could I would trade places with you. Those training sessions are a bitch," Axel laughed.

Naminé smiled slightly.

Just then Axel's phone vibrated. He picked it up. "They want me to come get them."

"Okay. I'm going to go to bed."

The two got up and left the room.

"Hey, Naminé," Axel said before they went their separate ways. "Let's let Roxas think we're ignorant of what's happen to him. I know you think he's lost, but I'm going to do everything to save him. If the Darkness is unaware we know about it, then it'll be easier to surprise it."

"Okay."

Axel waved before walking down the stairs.

The Darkness would be stopped. He was getting his best friend back no matter what it took.

xXx

_**Not here. Not again. I thought I was done with these stupid dreams.**_

_**What's the point? I gave in already. I'm the Darkness now.**_

_**I was standing on a semi circle platform staring at a mirror that cut the platform in half. Or at least I'm assumed it did. **_

_**I couldn't see around it.**_

_**Reaching out, I touched the smooth glass. It shattered underneath my fingertips.**_

_**The crack spread rapidly throughout the entire mirror.**_

_**I stepped back and covered my eyes.**_

_**Through the cracks little beams of light peeked through. It made my eyes burn.**_

_**Suddenly the entire mirror shattered completely, shards of glass covering the floor everywhere.**_

_**I had been right about the mirror. I could now see the entire platform before me.**_

"_**You!" I shouted.**_

_**He didn't respond. Well of course he didn't. He wasn't able to.**_

_**I laughed loudly, the noise echoing off into the distance.**_

"_**So, I was right. You are still here. Just trapped."**_

_**I walked closer to him.**_

_**My doppelganger.**_

_**Well except time the places had switched. I was no longer looking at Dark Me, but instead the small amount of Light I still had buried deep down.**_

_**He was bonded by tendrils of Darkness. They were like chains, holding him to the platform. His entire face was covered, making him unable to speak.**_

_**Well, his brilliant blue eyes shone clearly.**_

"_**I thought you would be completely gone," I told him.**_

_**He watched me, those eyes of his full of such deep anguish. It made me smile.**_

"_**I guess not," I continued, enjoying his silence. "But you're getting weaker. Well," I stopped suddenly remembering what had happened at the party. **_

_**His pained eyes flashed for a second with triumph.**_

"_**So, it was you responsible for that feeling of guilt. Ha! Should have know. Don't **_**ever **_**do that again. I don't want those stupid feelings. I have need for guilt or pain. No need for kindness and compassion. So leave me alone! You lost. You chose to give in. It's not my fault you didn't like the results."**_

_**I laughed again. "Well, this has been a fun conversation. Hope you enjoy your prison, because I'm never freeing you."**_

_**With one last wave, I walked over to the edge of the platform and jumped, plunging myself into darkness.**_

**

* * *

**

Ahh! What did you all think? Tell me tell me!

Zexion! We missed you!

Another chap with drinking. But this time it's a really really uber important detail. I said in one of the first chapters focusing on Roxas his thought about alcohol and how he talks about alcohol and losing control, so evil Roxas has to be a drinker.

Anyways no spoilers for BBS in this one, but I have planned something that would invlove tiny spoilers. Nothing major but I can't resist using this idea.

Stay tuned for more updates! I'll try to get them done ASAP!


	23. Mice and Men:R

Yay new chapter! I would like to thank all of you who reviewed and my amazing editor. I'm absolutley dreadful wehn it comes to using commas.

To Nobody-XV- No need to apologize. Yeah, back when I first started writing this I had only beaten the first game and played only a little of the second so I messed up on his element. But I'm really glad I did because I wouldn't have much of a story if I made his elemnent be light. Where's the fun in that? :)

Hope you guys like this one. It took foever to write because I actaully wrote it backwards and then had to make eveything in the beginning make sense with the end. But I really had fun. Evil Roxas is uber fun to write about.

Also mild spolers for Birth By Sleep, and I mean _mild._ I have two characters from that game and beside a few things which I tweaked anyway they aren't very much like the actaul characters.

So enjoy and don't forget to review!

* * *

_If only I had known the consequences of choices…_

xXx

Roxas was waiting for class to begin in an empty classroom. Well, almost empty. He was far from alone as there was a girl between him and the wall.

He placed his hands on the girl's hips and pressed his mouth to hers. She tasted like malice and disloyalty. It was a tempting, delicious taste and he was having difficulty refraining from getting more aggressive.

_**Screw it, **_he thought, pushing her harder against the wall. She pulled her head away and playfully hit him.

"Stop it," Kairi giggled. "God, who would have guessed you liked it so rough."

"Less talking, more making out," Roxas replied, kissing her again. It was far from romantic or even meaningful, but he was enjoying himself.

There was something about doing something wicked - with another guy's girl nonetheless - in school that was just so appealing.

A memory of another morning spent in a classroom with a girl sprang into his mind. Only the girl had soft, chocolate brown hair, deep green eyes, and a smile so sweet it gave you cavities.

Roxas winced and pushed the image away. Instead he focused on running his hand up Kairi's soft thigh.

"Roxas!" she squealed pushing him away again. "Naughty boy."

He grinned before leaning down to kiss her again.

"You taste like Jack Daniels," she whispered into his ear as he left a trail of kisses down her neck.

"School is no fun without a little bite to it."

"Tsk, tsk, Roxas."

He chuckled and stepped back from her.

"Don't," she whimpered, grabbing onto his blue tie and pulling him closer.

He kissed her one last time before pulling away. "I have to go meet someone, Babe."

"Blow them off."

"Nah, I can't. Look, we'll catch up tomorrow morning," he replied, tucking in his uniform shirt and straightening his tie.

She sighed. "You know we can't. Sora will get suspicious if I have a 'doctor's appointment' every morning."

"Well I guess we'll have to wait longer then. See you around," he said, with a hint of detachment in his voice. Before she had a chance to respond, he turned and left.

"Where were you?" Demyx asked once he had arrived at their new morning spot. It had been decided unanimously that they not return to where they had previously sat because of the circumstances.

"Dropping something off with a teacher," Roxas lied.

"What?" Axel was leaning against the tree, watching Roxas with keen interest.

"A homework assignment I blew off because of training. She let me turn it in late."

"At this school? No teacher allows that," Demyx replied, skeptical.

"English teachers love me man. It's rare to find a student that actually reads the assignment instead of just looking up Spark Notes."

Demyx laughed. "True that."

Roxas looked over at a frowning Axel, "What crawled up his butt?"

"Uh, I don't know. You okay?"

"Yeah," the redhead mumbled.

"Whatever," Roxas said, rolling his eyes. He wasn't in any mood to deal with Axel. Lately it seemed as if he was constantly in a bad mood. It wasn't just him either. Even Demyx seemed a little deflated sometimes.

"You know what you guys need?" Roxas grinned and began digging through his backpack. He pulled out a bottle, half full with brown liquid.

Demyx's eyes widened. "Roxas!"

Axel stepped forward and snatched the bottle away from him.

"Hey!"

"Are you mental?! You'll get expelled if you get caught with this," he snarled.

"Relax, man. It's not like I'm going to pull it out in front of a teacher."

"Don't be stupid, Roxas. They don't need to see a bottle to get you in trouble. I knew I smelled something from you. They will be able to, too," Axel replied, dumping the liquid onto the grass before stuffing the bottle in his backpack.

"Are you drunk?" Demyx asked, staring at Roxas in disbelief.

Roxas laughed. "No. I'm not drunk."

"Could have fooled me," Demyx mumbled.

Roxas smirked. He glanced over at Axel who was watching him with his eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"Why the sudden desire to drink alcohol, Roxas? A few weeks ago you wouldn't even go near the stuff and now you're a regular frat boy."

"People change," Roxas replied tersely.

"You sure this has nothing to do with Olette?" Demyx asked.

"Look, I'm not some loser guy pining over a girl. She's moved on. So have I. My new acquired taste for something different has nothing to do with her, so just drop it already."

"Fine we will. We're just worri-"

"Don't be," Roxas interrupted. "I'm fine. Never better as a matter of fact."

"Doesn't look that way to me."

"No one asked your opinion," Roxas snapped.

Axel stepped towards him, his eyes ablaze. But whatever he had intended to do no one found out for the bell rang.

Without so much as a glance at the other two boys, Roxas turned and headed toward the school building.

xXx

Roxas sat at his desk in math class, watching the clock anxiously. His skin felt like it was crawling and more than anything he needed to get out of the room. Of course, it really wouldn't do him any good, because the next class would be equally uncomfortable.

The moment he had walked into the classroom and seen Olette sitting in the back of the room reading, he had almost been knocked over by a wave of hostility. And not just figuratively. Olette's Darkness was the most evident in the whole room.

Pain mixed with hatred with even a little fear attached to it. Fear of what though? He hadn't been able to tell. Long ago he had felt fear coming off of Olette but it had been more like uncertainty. Later he had learned that she was terrified that she was going crazy due to the visions caused by the breaking down of her memories Naminé had covered up years ago. But not this time. The fear was distinctly different.

Almost as if on instinct, she looked up from her book just as he entered the room. Their eyes locked for a moment before she went back to reading.

Roxas stood there for a second, unsure of how he was feeling. Part of him was indifferent. He couldn't care less about his ex-girlfriend/ex-best friend. Yet another part of him felt like he was being ripped apart. He chose to disregard the latter knowing the reason behind it.

Now he just felt jumpy. He needed to get out. Needed to get away from her. She did something to him every time he saw her. Made him feel like the Old Roxas. Made him feel weak.

For that, he hated her. Hated everything from her eyes he once thought were so pretty to her face he once thought was so sweet. The memory of her smile made him sick.

_**Need to get away,**_ he thought, feeling on the verge of exploding.

The sick sensation was slowly turning into anger. Any second now he would lose it and the room would be filled with the Darkness he was now suppressing.

Just as he was about to say "screw it" and let the Darkness loose, (after all, what did he care if everyone here got hurt?) the bell rang. Roxas grabbed his stuff and bolted out of the door. Only he didn't go in the direction of his next class. That would only make it worse. She would be there.

Instead, he went out to Axel's pick up truck, intending to wait until school was done. The plan was flawed, however, seeing that Roxas didn't have the keys. Refusing to go back inside the school building, he jumped inside the bed and lay down so he wouldn't be seen. Then he pulled a book out of his backpack and started to read, hoping it would distract him.

It didn't do a very good job. By the time the bell rang, Roxas was ready to rip someone's head off. He could hear students talking and laughing as they came out of the building.

For a few minutes, he just lay there, knowing that any second Axel and Demyx would come and see him. They'd probably be freaking out because Demyx would have noticed that Roxas was missing from last period.

"Shit! Roxas!"

Roxas sat up. Axel and Demyx were standing next to the truck.

"You scared us man!" Demyx laughed.

"Why did you skip?" Axel asked.

"Didn't feel well." It wasn't a total lie.

"We looked in the library for you but didn't find you so we figured you might have walked home," Demyx replied.

"Nah. Just chilled here." He stood up and jumped down from the bed of the truck. "Listen, sorry 'bout this morning," he said, not really meaning it. "I was out of line. Things lately have been less than great."

"No biggie," Demyx replied, grinning.

"Yeah, it's fine." Roxas got the suspicion that Axel was less than sincere, but he just shrugged it off, not caring.

The three of them got into the truck. Roxas chose the back seat over shotgun, because he needed to just think and it was easier to tune them out in the back.

_**I haven't felt like I was losing control like that for long time. Aren't I supposed to be getting better? Damn Olette. All her fault. First she makes me feel like the idiot I used to be who was actually concerned about people, and now… Ugh, I just wish she'd go away. I don't need her. **_

_Yes, you do,_ whispered a quiet voice.

He ignored it.

xXx

The rest of the week went the same as Monday did. Every time he saw Olette his heart would ache and things that they used to do together would come rushing back. Even when he was making out with Kairi during the rare times they could sneak off together, Olette would somehow manage to crawl back into his mind.

It felt like she was being forced there, almost as if the Light was using her memory as its own personal weapon. Like it knew it was sometimes able to break down the Darkness's wall and make Roxas feel like his old self even if it was just for a few seconds.

However, if that were the case (and Roxas was almost positive it was because it was the only explanation he could think of) it was backfiring on the Light. From the feelings of pain, regret, and guilt came hostility and resentment. He started to want to hurt her more than he had ever before.

Olette was afraid of something? She would know the true meaning of fear once Roxas showed her all that he could do.

He would smile at the image. But all he ever did was fantasize.

His true purpose was greater and he didn't need to waste any time or effort on her. Or at least, that is what he told himself. Deep down he was too afraid to admit that the true reason he didn't do anything was that he wouldn't be able to go through with it when the time came. He was terrified that the Light would once again manipulate how he felt.

It was one thing to hurt her emotionally like he had done by kissing Kairi in front of her. But if he was to actually hurt her physically the Light would burst from him in order to protect her and he would once again be the weak, pathetic boy he once was.

So he refrained from doing anything and just continued to ignore her.

xXx

_**This place seriously needs a new decorator.**_

_**Once again, I found myself standing on the same platform, surrounded by absolute nothingness. Other Me was absent this time. Howeve , lying on the floor in front of me**_

_**By this time, I could already tell I was dreaming and couldn't wait for this to be over so I could wake up. **_

_**So I waited.**_

_**And waited.**_

_**Nothing.**_

_**Just me and the two Keyblades.**_

_**I contemplated picking Oblivion up. Oathkeeper, although it looked like it had when I first received it, was useless to me. Well, at the moment, Oblivion was pretty useless too, since nothing was happening.**_

_**I left the Keyblades where they were and walked over to the edge of the platform.**_

_**Maybe if I jumped, I'd wake up.**_

"_**Or you could be stuck here forever," said a voice from behind me.**_

_**I whipped around, instinctively throwing my arms out to summon the Keyblade.**_

_**Nothing happened. **_

"_**Impossible," I gasped, not referring to the absence of the Keyblade. **_

_**I was staring at, well, me. He was just standing there, completely free. Only for some reason, he was wearing armor of some kind. It looked out of place on him. **_

"_**You're supposed to be trapped," I snarled. **_

_**He smiled at me. "I think you have me confused with someone else."**_

"_**Well, you two are the spitting image of one another," said a new voice. It was cold and sounded similar to my own. I looked over to the source of the voice, noticing for the first time another person.**_

_**He was similar to me in height and age, but the similarities stopped there. His hair was black and wild, more so than mine. But what struck me the most were his eyes.**_

_**They were yellow.**_

_**The stranger smiled at me, displaying his wolf like teeth. "Hello, Roxas."**_

"_**Who the hell are you?" I yelled.**_

"_**A comrade, I assure you. The person who understands you the most."**_

_**I scoffed. "Yeah, right."**_

_**He smiled again, almost as if he had anticipated my exact response. It was harsh, full of pride and pleasure. The expression, though on an unfamiliar face, was one I recognized very well. Only it had been mine.**_

_**Suddenly, tendrils of Darkness shot from his hands and grabbed me, bringing me closer to the two boys. **_

_**The one with yellow eyes laughed. Other Roxas shivered in reaction to the malicious sound. **_

_**The tendrils slackened, releasing me from their grip. **_

"_**See? A comrade, Roxas."**_

"_**How did you do that?" I asked in astonishment. **_

_**He smirked, but did not answer. Instead, he turned to Other Me. "He is more like me than you, Ven."**_

_**Ven?**_

"_**You're wrong. He may share your gift, but this isn't the right boy," the boy who looked like me said.**_

_**He had to be Other Roxas. He was my twin in every way. Even his voice was the same as the annoying inner one that occasionally spoke to me.**_

_**Only why had the other boy called him Ven?**_

_**Yellow-eyed boy raised his eyebrows. "What do you possibly mean, Ven?"**_

_**Ven faced me and frowned. "The Light is trapped, correct? You are the Darkness? The thing poisoning Roxas?"**_

"_**I **_**am**_** Roxas," I growled in response. "Just more powerful. Better."**_

_**He shook his head, sadly. "He gave in to the Darkness, thus ripping away all the good that made him who he was. You aren't the true him. Just the Darkness's sick imitation of him."**_

"_**Shut up!" I yelled, creating an orb of Darkness so fast if you had blinked you would have missed it. But before I had a chance to throw it at the bastard, two glowing things resembling ropes shot toward me, grabbing both my wrists.**_

_**I cried out. The pain was unbearable. Tears came to my eyes and my vision blurred. But just as I felt about to pass out, the pain subsided. I felt my wrists being released.**_

_**It took a few seconds for my vision to clear and when it did, I saw Ven staring at me with hatred in his brilliant blue eyes.**_

"_**Was that really necessary?" the other boy asked.**_

"_**Yes, Vanitas. It was."**_

_**Yellow-eyed boy, or Vanitas, sighed. "Fine. You've made your point. We both know Light is just as powerful as Darkness."**_

"_**It seems to me that the purpose was wasted on you. That shouldn't have hurt him as badly as it did. It has nothing to do with how strong my power is."**_

"_**Who are you two?" I gasped, my wrists still stinging.**_

"_**Two Nobodies of old," Vanitas answered. "Long gone from the world, but still able to exist through you."**_

"_**What do you mean? What are Nobodies?"**_

"_**Learn your history, Imposter," Ven replied flatly.**_

"_**I'm not an imposter. Aren't you listening? I'm him. I just don't obey anyone. Especially not the stupid Light."**_

_**Ven looked at me with an expression full of pity, something I had not expected coming from him. "No, but he's still here somewhere. He will beat you."**_

"_**Let it go," Vanitas said. "Darkness will win this time." Then, addressing me, "Don't listen to this guy. I like this new you. The old Roxas was annoying. Who needs compassion? It makes you weak."**_

"_**Brother, I have no way to tell you how terribly sad I am for you," Ven told Vanitas.**_

_**Vanitas laughed. **_

"_**Well it's time for you to wake up and time for us to leave you. But don't worry. We'll be seeing you real soon." He flashed me his canine smile once more.**_

_**The two of them vanished before my eyes, leaving me all alone.**_

xXx

Roxas sat, staring at a book so old he was surprised it did not fall apart whenever he turned the page.

He was sitting in the mansion's vast library. It was like most rich people's libraries, spacious with plump couches and desks sporadically placed, shelves filled with volumes of books. The only difference was that instead of finding books like _Tom Sawyer _and _Pride and Prejudice_, the only books in the library were informative.

Books on every subject you'd ever want to know about. The whole library was a project of Vexen, lover of science and math. With the help of his protégé Zexion, the library also included books on history, foreign languages, and anything else that you'd ever want to learn about.

Which was why Roxas was here. Before he'd never spent much time here. Even as someone who loved to read he found no amusement in reading oversized textbooks full of big, pompous words. If he was gonna spend his time reading a book with words longer than eight letters, it better be some fantasy novel.

Still this time he needed books he knew he'd only find here. And not just some gigantic encyclopedia that would make his head spin, but instead a book that he hoped would answer his questions.

It had taken him a few hours of scanning shelves before finally locating the books he wanted. They had been in the farthest corner of the library. It seemed weird to find them in a spot where they had been practically hidden. After all he had assumed these were the books the elders would most want the third generation to read.

Roxas was now flipping through volume after volume of the history of people like them, or "Nobodies" as they were called. All the books were journal-like, written in someone else's hand. That wasn't that surprising, considering if these had been printed, people would assume that the author was crazy or that they were reading fiction. In fact, if Roxas hadn't known any better he too would be among them. The stories were just so out there.

He had read about accounts of people with incredible strength or those who could invade someone's mind and make them see terrible things. A few people had powers he recognized, like the ability control fire or water. Others would have made the old Roxas shudder, but now he found them incredible and was almost envious of them.

Yet he still hadn't been able to find what had prompted him to begin his search.

His dream had resulted in so many questions and he was desperate for answers. Who was the boy who had the same gift as him? And who was the other who had called him a fake?

The thought of the look-a-like made him shake with rage. Who was he to tell him he wasn't the "real" Roxas? He was Roxas. The _new and improved_ Roxas. He wasn't some imperfect copy made by the Darkness, but himself with more power than anyone else.

He turned another page, barely even paying attention to it, and froze.

_**Wait a second.**_

He flipped back, smiling triumphantly as he did so. On the page was a taped a photograph of two boys with their arms around each other's shoulders, grinning at the camera.

"Vanitas and Ven",Roxas read aloud.

He scanned the rest of the page, looking for anything else, but there seemed to be nothing of importance.

The caption read: _"The two brothers seem enthusiastic about their project. They are my best pupils, putting all the others to shame."_

That was it. No details on "the project".

_**So they **_**are**_** brothers. One that control Darkness and one that controls Light. **_

But it didn't make any sense. If Vanitas could control Darkness why hadn't he fulfilled the prophecy? Why was it up to Roxas to do so? What had caused him to fail?

And why did Ven look exactly like him?

Roxas looked at the date scribbled at the top of the entry. It had been over a hundred years since these two had lived. Why then had they appeared to Roxas in his dream? What was the connection?

He closed his eyes and tried to imagine himself back on the platform. Before the other two had gotten there he had been all alone.

_**Wait... no, that's not exactly true. The Keyblades had been there as well. **_

Now that he thought about it, the Keyblades did represent Dark and Light.

Vanitas and Ven.

Could there be a connection? After all no one had ever explained to him where the two Keyblades had come from? Unlike Axel and Demyx who had just randomly summoned their weapons, Roxas had seen his before he used them for the first time, though it had taken him a while afterwards to be able to wield them. Was it possible that Axel and Demyx's weapons had also been created before them, but in order to summon them they must first possess the ability to do so?

Too many questions.

Not a single answer.

He needed to find more information on this "project" that the author of this journal was talking about. Roxas flipped to the last entry and saw that it was dated only a few months after the one with the photo. It was short, barely even half the page.

"_I fear that perhaps we trained them too soon. Ever since Vanitas discovered that fool's prophecy he has been out of control. I've asked Ven to help calm him down, but it seems to be no use. Vanitas will no longer listen to his brother. It's been a month since the two finished their project. At first, the outcome was beautiful. Two brother weapons, each with its own unique power. When asked what the weapons were called, both Ven and Vanitas answered in unison "The Keyblade." It had been a glorious moment for the both of them. The first two pupils to complete the creation of such fine weaponry. But it seemed to tear the brothers apart. If only we had known the destruction they both would cause. My only wish is that-"_

That's where it ended. The last sentence incomplete.

Roxas stood up from the desk and swung his right arm out. Oblivion formed in his hand. It was now completely black with swirling tendrils of Darkness weaving all around it. He was curious about Oathkeeper too, but he could no longer summon it.

_**Is this the weapon Vanitas created? It has to be. And Oathkeeper must be Ven's. It's…**_

Anguish. Suffocating anguish. Regret. Guilt. Loss.

Roxas released Oblivion. Someone had just entered the library.

Axel.

All the emotions were his. But they seemed stronger. And one was more dominant than the rest.

_**Loss? Of what?**_

Yet Roxas knew for certain that was the emotion Axel was feeling. If Roxas were to close his eyes and focus on the emotion he knew he would feel it exactly as Axel was. Almost as if he _was_ Axel.

But, instead, he sat down and opened one of the many books on the table and pretended to be engrossed in it.

A few seconds later, he heard faint footsteps behind him. They stopped and someone touched his shoulder.

Roxas looked up from the book.

"Hey, Axel. What's up?"

Axel burrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "I was just about to ask you the same. What are you reading?"

"Stuff about the Organization, well more like previous organizations before us," Roxas answered.

He wished Axel would go away. This past week, their relationship became more strained with every encounter. He also had no time to talk with the Old Roxas's friends. The New Roxas had no time for petty things like friends. And it was getting harder to pretend he was the same person he was a couple weeks ago. Someone was bound to get suspicious.

"There were Organizations before this one?"

"Um, yeah. Different names, same sort of things. Listen sorry, but I'm kinda busy." Roxas turned back to the book.

Axel ignored the hint to leave him alone and instead pulled over another chair and sat down.

"So how have things been?"

Roxas sighed and looked at Axel, surprised at the knowing look in his green eyes.

"Good, no more drinking if that's what you mean," Roxas replied cautiously. The expression on Axel's face was unnerving him. "Or even incidents like the library or the party. I feel more in control than ever."

"That's good." Axel smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Yup."

"I don't like all these changes. You were fine the way you were. And as for the incidents, seeing you go all dark side was not fun. It's happened too many times. I wouldn't want it to happen again. You could really hurt someone," Axel told him, making full eye contact.

"Those times were accidents, Axel," Roxas replied, trying to appear as if he were ashamed. "I'm sorry." He broke away from Axel's gaze.

"You need to be more careful, Roxas."

Roxas looked up at Axel, his eyebrows furrowed with confusion. Something was off in the way he had said his name. Roxas couldn't quite place why he had found it so odd.

"I told you I was in control," Roxas growled, wishing more than ever Axel would ago away.

_**Why was I ever friends with him in the first place? **_he thought.

Pain washed over him. It must have shown on his face because Axel's expression softened,

"You okay, man?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Roxas mumbled.

Only he wasn't. That pain he had felt hadn't been someone else's. It had been his. And god, had it hurt.

He had felt so empty, so lonely. His body still tingled from it.

It had been the Light that had caused the pain. The stupid, meddling Light.

The two boys sat in silence for a few minutes. It was finally broken by Axel taking a small box out of his pocket.

Roxas watched as Axel slipped a cigarette from the box and snapped his fingers, creating fire to light it.

Axel brought the cigarette to his lips and inhaled. He let out a deep sigh, allowing the smoke to escape his lips.

Suddenly his bright green eyes grew wide. He stared at the cigarette in his hand, almost as if he was seeing it for the first time.

Roxas couldn't help but smile a bit. He had caught Axel smoking a few weeks back. It had surprised him, Axel hadn't smoked for years. But instead of stopping him like the Old Roxas would have done, he had just let him be. In fact he had even started to make it worse. Axel had been getting on his last nerve more and more lately. And a few days ago Roxas had felt something else among Axel's normal Darkness. It had been laying there underneath all the pain and regret. Something Roxas had barely even noticed before.

Addiction.

Axel might have been pretty good at resisting the taste of smoke for a while now, but he still craved it. Every now and then when Roxas was getting extremely annoyed with the redhead, he would focus on the addiction and pull it forwards, making it stronger. It was subtle enough that Axel was oblivious to it, yet apparently still powerful enough for him to start smoking again.

"Take this!" Axel exclaimed, forcing the pack of cigarettes into Roxas's hand. "Keep them away from me. I don't know why I did that."

Roxas pocketed the pack, planning later to just put them back in Axel's room so he might be tempted again. He raised his eyebrows at Axel who was still holding the lit cigarette in his hand.

Axel followed his line of focus and quickly handed the cigarette to Roxas.

"Ow!" Roxas yelped as he accidently got burned.

"Sorry, man."

"Yeah, yeah whatever."

"I can't believe I just did that," Axel whispered.

Regret washed over Roxas. He ignored it, knowing it wasn't really his emotion.

_**Stupid Light. Next time I have a dream with him, I'm going to show him some true pain.**_

"People make mistakes. I'm the poster boy for that," Roxas said, forcing a playful tone.

Axel's eyes focused on Roxas for a moment. "Yeah."

Roxas bristled, not liking Axel's suddenly cold attitude. "Listen I really want to read some more of this. Can we talk later?"

"Sure." Axel stood up and left. "Oh, hey, Roxas?"

Roxas looked over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"We all have to be in Training Room One in two hours."

"Why?"

"Beats me."

Roxas watched Axel leave the library, taking his Darkness with him.

It seemed like more and more lately he had started to enjoy feeling other people's Darkness. He craved it. It was better than all the bottles of Jack Daniels he had downed and all the make-out sessions with Kairi combined.

And there were so many different flavors of it. Suffering. Cruelty. Malice. Deceit. Lust. All scrumptious in their own ways.

He was like a starving man when alone. But once he could feel someone's Darkness he felt whole again.

Without it, he just felt nothing.

xXx

Roxas descended the stairs down to where the training rooms were. As he did so he could hear the faint sound of laughter. The noise got louder as made his way to the room. He could distinguish certain people's laughter from the rest.

Demyx's cheerful chuckle. Larxene's high pitched giggle. Lexaeus's deep guffaw.

The sounds almost made him sick. Roxas craved Darkness once more. All this happiness was clouding him, making it harder to sense all the pain.

When he finally entered the room, he was shocked to see everyone. Well, minus Saix and Xemnas, but still, everyone else was there. They were all in the middle of the room, with the elders more to the left and the teenagers on the right. Roxas noticed that all but Vexen, Marluxia, and Zexion were smiling and laughing.

_**Big surprise there.**_

"Roxas!" Xigbar exclaimed, noticing him. "Took you long enough!"

"Sorry," Roxas muttered, walking towards Demyx and Axel. Demyx grinned at him holding his palm up for Roxas to slap.

"Ready to kick some elder butt?" he yelled excitedly.

"Huh?" Roxas high fived him back with much less enthusiasm than the other blonde.

"We're going to have a friendly competition," Luxord explained. "Teachers versus students. Listen up, because this is how it's going to work. I'm going to flip a coin. The team that calls it right will choose one person from their team to be the first to fight. They will also pick a member of the other team to be their opponent. Now, this is not a fight to the death by any means. First sign of any injury that would prevent a player from fighting or when someone gives up, the game is done. The winner either chooses their next opponent or picks one of their team members to be next. The person who loses the game is eliminated. First team to eliminate the other wins. Understand?"

The five teens nodded.

"What does the winning team get?" Larxene asked.

"If we win you guys will have triple training sessions for a week."

The five teenagers groaned in unison.

"But," Luxord continued," if you guys win, we'll do your chores for _two _weeks. Sound fair?"

"Oh yeah!" Demyx shouted, pumping his fist into the air.

"But wait," Roxas added, "you guys have six. We have five. That puts us at a disadvantage."

"Ha!" Xigbar laughed. "Told you one of them was smart enough to figure that out. Nice try, though, Luxord."

Luxord smiled warmly at Roxas. "Right you are. That is why Xaldin is going to referee for us. Now we all know that we are more powerful than you young ones-" He paused waiting for the annoyed disagreements from the five teenagers to quiet down, "-so we may not let you win, but we also will hold back a little to give you a fair chance. Okay, so let's begin!"

He took a coin from his pocket and threw it up in the air.

"Heads!" Xigbar shouted.

The coin landed on the floor, heads side up.

"Totally awesome!"

"Okay we chose Lexaeus to be our first player," Luxord said. "Who will be your opponent, Silent Hero?"

Lexaeus, never one to talk very much, pointed to Larxene.

She smiled smugly, her eyes gleaming. "This should be fun."

All but the two of them retreated to the back wall.

"Okay, start!" Xaldin yelled.

It was over in about a minute.

To everyone's complete utter shock, a sullen-looking Lexaeus with smoking shoes stood up from the ground and joined the group by the wall.

"Never underestimate a girl," Larxene said, smiling.

Despite Lexaeus's strength, Larxene had been able to beat him with speed and a lightning bolt strategically placed to knock him off his feet as well as fry his toes a bit.

Demyx was staring at Larxene in awe. "But, but how?"

Axel chuckled. "If anyone could do it, it'd be her."

"Damn," Demyx replied.

Roxas smirked. "She got lucky, that's all. In fact he probably let her win so he didn't have to participate in this stupid thing."

Axel shot him an annoyed look, but said nothing.

"Okay, Larxene," Luxord shouted, "who will be your next opponent, or who from your team will you pick to fight next?"

"I pick Marluxia!"

Larxene wasn't so fortunate this time. Marluxia wasn't going to hold back, not even for his favorite of the teenagers. He shot vine after vine at her, causing her to constantly having to doge out of the way. At one point, she flung out her hands, knives appearing at her fingertips. Whenever a vine shot her way she would slice it down. She was so busy focusing on the defense that she didn't even try to attack back. Eventually her stamina wavered and as she paused to breathe, one of Marluxia's vines wrapped around her waist.

Larxene gasped and choked, unable to breathe. She tried to cut the vines, but more wrapped around her arms, binding her.

"You can stop now, Marluxia," Luxord yelled.

The vines loosened and fell away from Larxene. She staggered and fell, all the while breathing heavily. Marluxia ran to her and helped her to her feet. As he walked with her towards the group he kept whispering into her ear, but it was too quiet for anyone else to hear.

"What do you think he said to her?" Demyx asked once Larxene had sat down.

"Beats me. I've never seen Marluxia be nice to anyone," Roxas replied.

"Yeah, but we all know Larxene is his favorite," Axel said, a hint of bitterness to his voice.

Roxas smiled to himself as a familiar pain washed over him. No matter how much he tried to deny it, there was still a little bit to Axel that pined for Larxene.

"He's probably screwing her," Roxas responded, just to anger Axel. Not only was it fun but it fed his hunger for Darkness even more.

Axel turned sharply to Roxas, his eyes burning. They softened a second later, his furious expression now melancholic. He stared at Roxas for a second before looking back to at the middle of the room.

"Graceful Assassin, who do you pick?" Luxord asked.

"Not me. Not me," Demyx muttered under his breath.

"I choose… Demyx."

"Shit!" Demyx swore loudly, causing everyone to laugh.

Marluxia smiled coldly at him as Demyx trudged toward the center of the room.

"Well, Demyx is out," Roxas muttered.

"Not necessarily," Axel replied. "He's a really good fighter. You of all people should know that."

Roxas smirked, remembering the time the elders had forced Axel, Demyx, and himself to fight one another. "He wouldn't have been able to do that without a little push from me."

Axel didn't respond. Roxas was surprised. He had anticipated some sort of angry reply or at least a question about what was wrong with him. But instead Axel just turned back to watch Demyx.

Although not accomplishing anything major, he was still holding up better than Larxene. Demyx had summoned his sitar and was strumming it, sending walls of water at his opponent.

Marluxia was drenched; his long pink hair plastered to his head. He had been able to stand his ground during a few attacks. while others had pushed him back. When ever he got the chance, he would launch his poisonous thorns at Demyx.

The teen had so far managed to avoid being pierced with a thorn that would definitely end the game for him. Though he wasn't as swift as Larxene, he was skilled at defending himself with his weapon. Using his sitar like a baseball bat he sent the thorns flying back at their creator.

The thorns struck Marluxia but dissolved the moment they made contact with his skin.

"Foolish boy, they can't hurt me." Marluxia laughed.

"He's running out of steam," Roxas commented, noticing how heavy Demyx was beginning to pant.

"Come on, Demyx," Axel chanted quietly.

The blonde started to strum his sitar so rapidly he fingers blurred. Bubbles formed all around him, only they weren't just normal bubbles.

They looked almost like replicas of Demyx, each with their own bubble sitar.

"That's new," Axel said, laughing.

The bubble army moved in on Marluxia, surrounding him. In response he threw up his arms, a single rose petal appearing and gently falling into his palm.

Roxas received a strange sense of déjà vu as he watched Marluxia summon his scythe. It seemed like so long ago that he himself had battled Marluxia.

It had been one of the first times he had consciously manipulated someone's Darkness in order to harm them. Back then, it had made him sick to his stomach to do something so cruel.

_**How weak and stupid I was, **_Roxas thought. _**How could I possibly think the Darkness was something to ignore? It's so powerful. So addicting. Why did I ever resist?**_

Marluxia was now hacking away at the bubble clones as the real Demyx generated his "Bubbles of Doom", as he liked to call them.

"Dance water, dance!" Demyx cheered, feeling victory just around the corner.

Everyone else sensed it as well.

"This is an interesting turn of events," Luxord remarked, grinning. The whole group stood there, anticipating the moment when Marluxia would finally lose.

But it never came. Out of nowhere, Demyx fell to his knees, clutching his chest. The bubble army vanished.

"What?!" Axel yelled.

Marluxia, taking the opportunity, sprinted up to Demyx. He flipped his scythe so he was now holding the blade.

"No!" Axel screamed.

Marluxia raised his scythe and wacked Demyx in the head with the handle. Demyx fell over sideways and hit the floor.

Axel ran out into the middle of the room and knelt beside his fallen friend.

Marluxia watched him, his lips curling into a sinister smile. "You're lucky I was in a good mood, Axel, or I might have been less kind and sliced your friend with the blade instead of just knocking him out."

Axel glanced up at Marluxia for a second before turning harshly toward Roxas.

Roxas kept his face blank, as Axel's eyes attempted to pierce through him.

He had been unable to resist the urge to meddle in the game. Demyx's Darkness had just been sitting there, waiting. And instead of releasing it to fuel his power like that one time, Roxas had used it harm him. For some reason he just didn't want Demyx to have a minute of glory. It was childish and selfish, but Roxas didn't care. It had just felt so good to hurt Demyx. He was usually so perky; it was fun to watch his pain emerge.

Axel looked back at Demyx and picked him up, slinging him over his shoulder. He walked toward the exit of the room, stopping once Luxord called his name.

"Come back here once you've dropped him off in his room," Luxord directed, "Naminé will take care of him."

Axel nodded and left.

Luxord surveyed the group. "Now, what could have possibly caused that?" His eyes lingered on Roxas for a few more seconds than the others

When no one answered he said to Marluxia, "I think it's time to pick someone else to fight."

Marluxia scowled, but didn't argue. He walked back to the wall. "Luxord, you may fight next."

Luxord grinned slyly. "Excellent. Now, for my opponent…" He paused, considering his options. "Roxas, it's been awhile. I haven't fought you since I was your mentor. I think it's time to see if the others have been successful in helping you improve."

Roxas nodded. He moved toward the center of the room. Luxord came up beside him and whispered so only he could hear, "Now, I promise not to stop time, if you promise not to pull anything like you did a few moments ago."

Roxas opened his mouth to deny the accusations, but Luxord silenced him with a harsh look.

"Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." Luxord clapped him on the back and went over to his side of the room.

The two stood, facing one another. They were waiting for Axel to return before starting. When he did, he hurried over to the wall without even looking at Roxas.

Roxas smirked to himself. It had probably been a mistake to not rush to Demyx's side with Axel, but he didn't care. After all he hadn't cared about the condition of his "friend".

"Begin."

Roxas summoned Oblivion at the same time Luxord summoned his weapon of choice, a deck of cards. Roxas was accustomed to Luxord's attacks. Before Xemnas had ordered him to train with all the elders, Luxord had been his sole mentor. He was strict and fair, because of his love of playing by the rules.

Roxas grinned to himself. Luxord's fighting was predictable. The fight was too easy.

Just as he expected, Luxord flung his deck at Roxas. The teen was quick to react. With his Keyblade, he reflected the cards back. They combined back together in one deck and soared into Luxord's hand.

"You're used to all my tricks, I see. Well, except this one." Luxord snapped his fingers.

For a second, Roxas couldn't breathe. He also couldn't move. It was a strange experience, almost as if he had been flattened like a pancake.

Roxas could hear the rest of the group roaring with laughter, with Axel the loudest.

_**What is this?**_ he thought, struggling to move. Luxord once again flung the cards out and sent them hurling toward Roxas. Unable to defend himself, the cards smashed into him, sending him backwards. As he crashed onto the floor, the sensation of being flat was gone.

Roxas stared up at the ceiling, still half in shock. He slowly lifted himself up from the ground, wincing as he did so. His entire body was covered in cuts.

"What was that?!"

Luxord smiled. "I simply turned you into a playing card."

Roxas's mouth dropped open for a second. "You're lying," he growled, though clenched teeth. The cuts were oozing blood, dripping all over the floor.

"Oh, no he's not," yelled Xigbar, laughter in his voice. "Funny as hell."

"Look's like Roxas is eliminated," Larxene said, giggling.

"No, I'm not," he snarled.

_**A playing card? I'm going to kill him.**_

No way was he going to allow Luxord the satisfaction of winning. His pride may be wounded, but he wasn't enough to stop him from fighting. He had been through worse before.

"Roxas," Luxord began, "you know the rul-"

"The rules state the game is done when someone is injured to a point where they can't fight. I'm not surrendering."

"Roxas, don't be an idiot," Axel replied. "You're injured. Let it go."

Roxas turned to glare at him, but grimaced as the pain from the cuts washed over him. If only he still had Oathkeeper then he'd be able to heal himself.

Just as the thoughts entered his head, the tendrils of Darkness emitting from Oblivion started to snake up his arms. As they passed over the wounds, the bleeding stopped.

The cuts disappeared. The tendrils made their way around his entire body, healing all the injuries.

Roxas laughed deeply as the pain faded.

"See, I'm not ready to give up just yet." He generated an orb of darkness and threw it at an unsuspecting Luxord. It hit him straight in his chest, sending him flying across the room.

"Hey!" Several voices from the group protested this event.

Luxord gingerly stood up a few minutes later, no longer smiling. "It seems to me that the young ones have won."

"As if!" Xigbar disputed.

"If Roxas here is the only one that can heal, then no matter what we do, he'll be able to keep fighting. The students win. Students, you're all dismissed." His British-accented voice was so stern that no one objected.

The four remaining teenms hurried out of the training room. No one cheered. No one congratulated Roxas on his victory. They all just climbed the stairs in complete silence.

It wasn't until Zexion and Larxene went their separate ways that Axel finally said something.

"I just don't know what to do anymore, Roxas." He stopped just outside of Demyx's room.

"What do you mean?" Roxas asked, stopping as well.

"With you. I keep saying that all the stuff you've been doing isn't you. But now-" He sighed heavily. "I guess I was wrong. Maybe all these years, I've never truly known you."

"Axel," Roxas said softly, surprising himself. After all he didn't care about disappointing Axel, yet for some reason, those words sliced through him, hurting more than any physical wound.

"Yeah?" A hopeful expression flashed across his face.

The pain disappeared, leaving Roxas feeling only annoyance. "You're just pissed because I'm more powerful than you. More powerful than anyone in this stupid Organization."

The hopeful expression on the redhead's face died. He shook his head sadly and entered the room without a word.

Roxas frowned to himself. That stupid sensation of pain and guilt he had just experienced was bothering him. It meant that stupid little bit of Light, the reminder of who he used to be was still fighting to get free. And it even felt as if it were getting stronger.

_Damn right, I am,_ said the voice quietly in the back of his head.

Roxas ignored it and went inside his room, slamming the door behind him.

xXx

"How is he?" Axel asked, sitting at Demyx's desk.

Naminé was still tending to the wound on Demyx's head. She smiled sadly at Axel. "He'll be fine. It shouldn't take long before he wakes up."

"Okay. Thanks, Naminé."

"It's no problem; in fact it _is_ sort of my unofficial job, taking care of you guys."

"Too bad you couldn't help Roxas," he replied bitterly.

Naminé sighed and stood up from the bed. "I heard what you said back there."

"I didn't mean it, well the last part anyway. I know my friend is still in there."

"Is that what you were trying to do? Reach him?"

"Yeah, I thought that maybe if I said something that would have hurt the old Roxas, then… well, it didn't work," he answered.

"It might have, Axel."

"Sometimes when I'm talking to him, for a split second he'll change and I feel like it's my best friend looking back at me instead of that monster. But then, in a flash, all I see are those cold, dead eyes of his and I know my friend is gone, if he was even there in the first place."

For a few minutes Naminé didn't respond, and then she said something so quietly Axel barely even heard her.

"Roxas is the one who caused Demyx to lose."

Axel nodded. "I know he did, I just don't understand why."

"The Darkness is cruel and selfish, it enjoys causing suffering and taking away all happiness. I bet you haven't noticed that Roxas causes pain wherever he goes now."

"Not that hard to notice. He's been a real asshole."

"That's not what I meant."

"What?"

"See, you're around him so much you can't really tell the difference. But I've started to avoid him and the few times I'm near him, I can feel the Darkness pushing on me, making pain more obvious. And I don't think he's doing it intentionally all the time. It almost like he's radiating Darkness, affecting everyone around him."

"Great, he's getting worse than I thought," Axel sighed, frustrated.

"He will until he's either stopped or he causes chaos."

"Of course, 'cause nothing can be easy."

"Not for us Nobodies, no." She giggled.

Axel laughed lightly for a second. "Hey, I just remembered something."

"What?"

"Roxas used to have two Keyblades right? The silver one used to heal him."

"Because it was Light, yes. But now the Light is trapped, so he can't use it anymore."

"But he was able to heal himself when he was fighting Luxord."

Naminé looked taken aback. "He was?"

"Yeah. His Keyblade produced little wisps of Darkness that healed him."

"I, um," she stammered. "I guess- well, there could be one theory."

"And it is?"

"Well, before his Keyblade would heal him when he was either defending someone else or when he was fighting a noble cause. Maybe the Darkness can heal him when it benefits himself. He was fighting for the glory and bragging rights. So the Darkness healed him," she said slowly, contemplating every word. "What I never have been able to figure out is why he can even wield light. I know you need Light in order to have Darkness and vice versa, but he shouldn't be able to summon the Keyblade of Light. There's only enough to maintain the balance. Not enough for him to actually control it."

"Well, he couldn't exactly control it before. The healing was sorta automatic. And it only worked on him. He couldn't use it to help others," he replied.

"True, but he really shouldn't have been able to use the second Keyblade in the first place. He can't now that he's given in to the Darkness."

"Maybe he could use the Light because he's a really good person? You told me the part that we all miss and love is Light and it's trapped. Roxas is a great person, probably the best I know."

"Yeah, but Axel if all good people could control Light, you'd be able to as well," Naminé pointed out. "And you keep forgetting that the part that is trapped is _pure _Light, meaning that parts of this new Roxas are in fact attributes from our friend. It's just the stuff he didn't let others see. The Darkness just took away the good and is making the bad stronger."

"Yeah I guess so." He slammed his fist on the desk. "Damn it! Why did he have to give up? It's all his fault."

"Axel, sometimes you can be so stupid."

His angered expression quickly switched to one of confusion.

"Roxas had just been rejected by Olette, the girl he loves and has done everything to protect. And after all that, it's him that's the one to hurt her. It tore him apart to be the reason she left him. He just wanted to be free of pain. The Darkness promised that. So he let it take the reigns. Better than feeling, right?" Her voice turned acidic on the last words.

"I always knew that if the Organization wasn't the death of him, a girl would be. He was always such a Romeo." Axel smiled slightly, looking much more like himself than he had in the past few weeks.

"This wasn't just some girl. It was _the _girl. You have no clue how much he loved her."

"No," Axel whispered, looking down at the ground. "I guess I didn't know everything about Roxas. Even if I did I still wouldn't have been able to prevent this."

"I think this situation was pretty unavoidable. But that still doesn't mean we can't make things better."

"I think the prophecy is going to happen. It almost has already."

"I have hope that someone can save him."

Axel snapped his head up to look at her. "Someone? Not me?"

Naminé shook her head. "I don't know who. It might be multiple people. Might just be Roxas himself." She stood up and walked over to the door, but before exiting she paused and looked over her shoulder. "Just keep a close eye on Olette."

"Why? He's not going to try and hurt her, is he?"

"I just have this hunch about something and I know the Darkness will do anything to win." With that, she left the room.

xXx

Roxas lay on his bed, watching a silver necklace with a turquoise pendant as he twirled it in the air with his finger.

The necklace was-or used to be- Olette's. He had given it to her on her thirteenth birthday, a day that would forever be etched in his memory.

Why, though, he didn't understand. It wasn't as if she were anything special.

Sure, she had more substance than Kairi did, but he no longer cared about that. Girls were good for one thing and Olette wasn't _that _great when it came to things like that.

Roxas grimaced, feeling as if he had been punched in the stomach. Thinking those things made him feel as if he was betraying someone. It shouldn't have, but yet it still did.

Once, familiar feelings such as remorse were so fleeting, but they always seemed to happen whenever he was thinking about either his "best friends" or Olette. And they were always stronger when it came to Olette.

Roxas twirled the necklace until it flew off his finger and went soaring across the room. It hit the wall before falling to the floor. He didn't bother to pick it up.

Instead, he held up hand and looked at the two rings lingering on his fingers.

A gift from Olette. Something he never _ever_ took off. Even now, when he felt no connection to them whatsoever he was unable to slip them off his fingers. Whenever he tried, a strange feeling would come over him and he'd stop. Almost as if the rings were a part of him.

He sighed, wishing someone was close enough to feel their Darkness. In fact his desire for the taste of it almost made him wish he was in school. All that suffering. All that backstabbing, gossip, nastiness. It was like a buffet.

Too bad he actually had to be near people. He'd never really been Mr. Social, but now all he wanted was to be away from everyone. To just be alone.

Roxas chuckled to himself, a thought occurring to him.

_**Funny how when I did enjoy being around my friends I still hated it because I didn't like the Darkness. Now that I've gotten used to the taste, I can't stand them. Ah, the irony.**_

It was too bad his own dark emotions weren't enough to feed the hunger. If they were he'd be satiated all the time. But inconveniently for him, they had to be someone else's in order to feed the hunger. That's why occasionally when someone's Darkness was faint or flat he would push and pull on it a bit in order to intensify the flavor. But the instances where he was forced to do so were becoming more and more scarce. Roxas had begun to feel shifts in Darkness the moment he entered the room. The levels sometimes skyrocketed.

It had an interesting effect on people. In most, it was easy to recognize the subtle dreariness in people's manner. They wouldn't be instantly depressed but yet there would be a slight droop in their behavior.

Roxas should have felt guilty about making those around him miserable, but he wasn't. Besides, he wasn't doing it on purpose all the time. But even if he had, he wouldn't have cared. After all, he was just playing his part. This was just one of the beginning steps.

Another effect this new development had on people was that when it wasn't making someone's mood gloomier, it was bringing out the viciousness of them. Most of those people were already nasty and bad, but sometimes he was even able to bring the tiniest bit of cruelty out of the nicest person. Just as everyone had pain, deep down every person was rotten.

Currently he was having the most fun with Kairi. Before, she had just been a mean, selfish bitch. But yet, she still had some loyalty to her friends who she cared about, even though she manipulated them. Roxas was enjoying the eroding of that small bit of humanity in her. He kept pushing on her deceit and willingness to be unfaithful to Sora. At first, at the party he hadn't done it knowingly, but ever since he had noticed his effect on people, he was responsible for her increase in cheating.

It was enjoyable for him to control her so much. She had done terrible things in the past, tortured tons of people with her sharp tongue, manipulated others for her own personal needs or even just to prove how powerful she really was. It was satisfying for her to now be someone else's puppet.

Not that Roxas had complete control of her or her feelings for him. He could only intensify what was there. He had yet to create someone's Darkness out of thin air, but he figured that was only a matter of time.

Part of him wanted them to be caught by Sora to create more tension and pain. But the other part (and not just his manhood) lusted to be with her, to run his hands up her legs, to press his lips against hers. The thought of touching her soft flesh made his body feel like it was on fire.

But that was all he felt toward her. Lust. Desire. Hunger.

No emotional connection and certainly not love.

Nothing at all like he felt with Olette.

Roxas froze at the thought of her. He hadn't spoken to her in over a week, the last time being the party.

He had hurt her so badly that night. What she must have thought of him…

Roxas closed his eyes, waiting for the guilt and regret to pass. With it had come a warm sensation in the pit of his stomach. It faded away quickly, and the warmth with it.

Not wanting to think about her anymore he turned over and closed his eyes, imagining Kairi lying next to him while he waited for sleep to come.

xXx

_**Why can't I ever have normal dreams? Or fun ones? Why must they always be these serious, mysterious, vague ones?**_

"_**We can't give you all the answers. That wouldn't be very fun."**_

_**I frowned as Vanitas and Ven appeared before me. "How do you do that?"**_

"_**We are a part of you, Roxas," Ven replied, his voice as cold as the last time.**_

"_**Because you created my Keyblades?" I asked, skeptical. Why would something like making my weapons give them access to my head?**_

"_**The Keyblade is no ordinary weapon. None of the weapons of Nobodies are. You don't just put work into them. You put **_**everything. **_**Will,**__**power, element. And your heart," Vanitas said, slowly walking around me in one big circle.**_

"_**The Nobody who creates their weapon is forever attached to it, even in death," Ven added.**_

"_**Does that mean the other Organization-"**_

"_**No," Ven interrupted. "The others aren't as connected to their weapons as you are. Once again, Roxas, you are a very special case. A very special Nobody."**_

_**The dark, severe way he said those last few words sent a shiver down my spine. **_

"_**Why am I so special? Because I can control Darkness? So can he!" I exclaimed, pointing at Vanitas.**_

_**His yellow eyes seemed to glow brighter.**_

"_**Nobodies aren't born due to genetics. They just happen. There's no connection between them. We were the first exception to that rule," Ven replied.**_

"_**Ven, the oldest, followed by me. Never before had two siblings both been born as Nobodies. Not only was there one monster in the family, there were two."**_

"_**I had come into my powers around the age of ten. Vanitas discovered his when he was thirteen and I was fifteen." His eyes darkened. "I had been able to hide what I was from my parents. Vanitas-" He paused and looked over at his brother, who was now smirking. "-wasn't as disciplined as me. He lost control one day. I had to use my power before he hurt someone. Our parents were terrified. So I took Vanitas and we ran."**_

_**I remained silent, hypnotized by his story and the calm manner in which he delivered it. So far, they had yet to answer what this all had to do with me, but I was too transfixed to speak.**_

"_**We lived on our own for a few months before we were discovered by another man with strange abilities. He took us to a school with about ten kids that all had power over things. We remained there until…" He trailed off, his voice suddenly somber.**_

"_**Until I discovered that I was above all those pathetic losers who were able to control sand and other pitiful things," Vanitas began, bitterness in his voice. "I found a prophecy; yes, the same one as you. They told me it was nothing more than a fool's way to get revenge. But I knew it was much more than that. I set out to fulfill it. To pull the world into darkness and chaos. To make the weak humans destroy themselves, so that we the Nobodies could rise and take the power we deserved." His eyes grew darker as his voice continued to increase in volume until he was roaring words. They echoed off into the distance before fading away. By the time he had finished, his eyes were the same color as Darkness; the same as when mine changed. **_

_**I kept glancing back and forth between the two brothers as Vanitas spoke. Watched as Ven's expression rapidly changed to anger, then to pity, and finally to sorrow.**_

"_**But," Vanitas said softly. "They stopped me before I had the chance. You know what they say: '**__**The best-laid schemes of mice and men often go astray.'"**_

"_**Who stopped you?" I asked, already expecting the answer.**_

_**Vanitas's black eyes returned to bright yellow again as he looked over at his brother. **_

_**Their eyes meet for a moment before Ven looked back towards me. **_

"_**I was twenty years old when I killed my brother," Ven said with no emotion in his voice or on his face.**_

"_**And I was eighteen when I killed mine," Vanitas concluded, equally indifferent.**_

"_**You killed each other?"**_

"_**We **_**destroyed **_**each other," Vanitas amended, smiling a wide grin that showed off his sharp teeth.**_

"_**How?" I asked.**_

"_**I was able to stop Vanitas right before he put his plan into action. Sometimes the Light is capable of doing things as equally terrible as the Darkness. After what I did…" He paused for a moment, overcome with emotion. Tears slid down his cheeks. "…I held him as he lay, his body broken, gasping for air. I watched as his eyes closed and his chest stopped moving. Unable to think or move I just sat there until…"**_

"_**Until what?" I demanded, my patience waning.**_

"_**I'm not like you, Roxas, with your tiny bit of light. Once the Darkness took hold, I was gone. So as I lay there dying, my eyes never leaving my brother's face all I could think of was how much I hated him. He had taken my glory and everything I'd ever wanted away from me. So with my last bit of will and life, I let the Darkness erupt from me, knowing it would kill him alongside me," Vanitas finished.**_

_**I remained silent for a very long time. The two brothers didn't say anything either. Finally, Ven opened his mouth,**_

"_**Now you know our story, so I assume you wish to know why it is important to you, I presume?"**_

_**I nodded.**_

"_**Before I set off to find my brother and kill him as I knew that I had to do, I spent the night with my true love, unsure if I would ever see her again. Our son, born nine months later, was born without his father. You Roxas, are a descendent of him and myself. Making you the only Nobody to ever have a Nobody ancestor."**_

"_**Um, so what?" **_

_**Ven's eyes widened as if I had just slapped him. **_

"_**Roxas you are related to the two most powerful Nobodies of time. Our blood and abilities run through you. Don't you find it strange that you can wield a weapon of Light when your power is Darkness? It is because of me that you have a small fraction of Light within you. And you should be thanking me, because without it there would be no hope for you to return to the way you're meant to be," he said.**_

"_**Return? Are you crazy? That Roxas is dead. He was a fool. Someone who let his **_**love**_**-" I sneered as I said the word, "-for a stupid girl who caused him nothing but grief and two useless friends keep him from achieving greatness."**_

_**Ven laughed deeply. "'Greatness'? That's what you call being stripped of all humanity? You think my brother is great for what he did?! He died a broken fool. And if you don't free the Light, you will perish as well." **_

_**I said nothing.**_

"_**Why am I wasting my time with you? Roxas had the strength to fight the Darkness and control it instead of letting it control him. But he did make the choice to bury the Light. He is the only one at fault for the monster in front of me," Ven growled.**_

_**Then he shouted, not to me, but something he knew was still lingering there, "I hope you're happy, Roxas. Because when the Darkness is the cause of the death of Axel, Demyx, and Olette you will have no one to blame but yourself."**_

_**I gasped and fell to my knees as a burning sensation spread through my body. Looking up at Ven, I could see a faint smile forming.**_

"_**For someone in the Light, you do play dirty," Vanitas said, chuckling.**_

_**I looked over at him, surprised he was still there. His brother had just called him a fool and he hadn't responded in any way. **_

_**The burning faded and I watched, pleased, as the smile vanished from Ven's face as well.**_

"_**He has a while to go before he is ready to reclaim what is rightfully his. My great grandson is a good man. He will beat you," Ven said, slowly, watching me keenly as he did so.**_

"_**Is that why you detest me so much?" I asked. "Because I trapped him?"**_

"_**I hate the Darkness. All it ever does is takes what it has no right to have. It took my brother. And it took perhaps the best Nobody there ever was." **_

"_**Roxas," Vanitas said, his eyes glowing brighter, "The old you gave into the Darkness trapping the Light. But it is still within you. And until it is extinguished - which it can be - there will always be a chance that the old Roxas will return. You will not become like I was until the Light is gone completely. And if that happens, there is no turning back."**_

"_**You will continue to get stronger and the Light will start to get dimmer until it is snuffed out completely. I warn you now that you would be wise to not let that happen," Ven cautioned. "That prophecy of yours is never meant to come true. Many have tried, before and after my brother. They all have failed. If you attempt to follow in the footsteps of my brother you too will only find your demise in the end."**_

"_**What have you got to say about all this?" I yelled at Vanitas. "If you too were Darkness, do you believe I should give up or become great, like I was meant to be?"**_

_**Vanitas's lips curled into a sinister smile. "Roxas, my dear friend, I don't give a damn about anyone but myself. You do as you wish. I am but a memory. If you were to bring the world to Darkness, I would merely remain a part of you. And if you fail, I will still exist through Oblivion. Your life, and even the life of the old Roxas, means nothing to me."**_

"_**See, Roxas. This is your fate should you decide to immerse yourself completely in the Darkness."**_

"_**Whatever," I said, knowing it was a lame comeback.**_

_**Ven frowned but didn't say anything. **_

"_**I think it's time for you to wake up. We'll be leaving now."**_

_**I blinked and they were gone.**_

_**I was alone once more. **_

_**And despite all of Ven's ominous warnings, I couldn't wait to wake up so I could raise some hell. **_

_You're a fool._

_**I smiled and mentally flipped the Light off.**_

**

* * *

**

So what did you think?

Tell me!!!

By the way, the title is not reference to the famous novel (which I love) but instead the quote by Robert Burns which the book is named for. I also didn't include the actual quote because it's written a little strangely. The direct quote is "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley" but I used how it's misquoted cause its easier to understand.

Next chapter will be focsued about Olette I promise. I know the story has started to shift to more Roxas centered which when I first started was never my intention, but I like his plot better, but I promis that Olette will be in it more.


	24. A Moment Frozen in Time:O

New chapter! Wow, thanks so much for the awesome reviews. Now I'm worried cause I don't want to dissapoint you guys. I'm not a big fan of this chap until the end. I finally took this one subplot and connected it back to the main story. Enjoy!

_Everything was dark._

_Well, everything except me. I stared at my arms and down at my feet, a little bit worried._

_Because I was glowing. _

_Well, not exactly. My skin itself wasn't glowing but somehow I was radiating light. It surrounded me like a giant halo._

_I took a step forward, the light coming from me illuminating up a small section of the area I was in. Two feet in front of me, there was only darkness. _

_Absolute, utter darkness._

_The sound of crunching leaves made me shriek in terror. _

_Someone was here and I couldn't see them. _

_But they could see me. It was hard not to._

_From behind me came the sound of someone moving. I bit down on my lip to keep from screaming._

_More crunching leaves; this time coming from ahead of me._

_Two people were here._

_I was too terrified to move. Everything was so dark._

"_Olette."_

_Someone touched my shoulder from behind and I screamed._

"_Shh, it's okay. I'm here. I won't hurt you."_

_I felt his arms wrap around me and he held me tightly in his arms._

_I was no longer afraid. I was safe._

_Because Roxas was here._

_But no… that wasn't right. Roxas had changed. He was different now. He was dangerous._

"_No," he refuted, as if he reading my thoughts, "Olette, it's me. Truly me." Then he gently whispered in my ear. "I love you."_

"_I love you too," I whispered back faintly._

"_Well isn't that just adorable," said a callous voice._

_I felt Roxas flinch and his hold on me tightened. _

"_Really, you two are so darn cute together." The voice was familiar. _

"_Go away," demanded Roxas._

"_No, I'm here to put you where you belong."_

_And suddenly I knew why the voice was familiar. Because it was Roxas's voice. _

_Only it had come from in front of me and instead of from behind me. The voice was also sharper, crueler._

_I squirmed out of Roxas's arms._

"_No!" he gasped, trying to pull me back._

_But I avoided getting caught again. Instead I took steps toward the sound._

_Deep, deranged laughter came from feet away from me. I stopped walking._

"_Leave," I said, with as much force as I could muster. _

_More laughter._

_I could feel his presence in front of me, but he was still in the darkness, impossible to see._

"_No, not in the darkness. I _am_ the Darkness."_

_A hand shot out from the Darkness and seized my wrist _

_I yelped out in fear and pain. _

"_Olette!" cried Roxas from behind me._

_I was wrenched forward. _

_The monster in front of me pulled me to his chest and leaned down, his cheek brushing against mine, making me wince._

_Although I could not see his face or his body, I knew he was there by the way the light around me would dim wherever he was touching me._

"_Be afraid, Olette," he whispered into my ear. My body began to shiver, feeling his cold breath on my skin. "Because I'm taking you into the Darkness."_

_With that, all the light radiating from me was extinguished. _

"_No!" _

_I heard the sound of Roxas moving toward us from behind. The creature holding me pulled away, his fingers still curled around my wrist._

_I heard Roxas cry out in agony, followed by the sound of him making contact with the ground._

"_Rox-!"_

_A hand clamped over my mouth._

_And suddenly I was being pulled. I tried with all my strength to resist, but he was too strong._

_So he continued to pull me into the nothingness._

_Into the Darkness._

xXx

Olette was awakened to the sound of screams escaping her own mouth. Unable to stop, she rolled over, using her pillow to muffle the noise.

A few seconds passed before she was able to stop. Her body refused to cease shaking.

"What's wrong?" cried an frantic voice.

Olette felt warm hands on her back.

"Olette, you're scaring me."

She rolled back over and threw her arms around the neck of her big brother, Leon.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

"What happened?"

"Bad dream," she stammered, still shaking.

Leon let go of her and turned on the lamp beside Olette's bed. He then sat down beside her. Olette leaned her head against his shoulder, as he slung his arm around her.

"It's okay. Just a dream. I'm here," he soothed,

Olette shuddered as she began to sob. Leon sat there with her until she finally fell asleep on his shoulder.

xXx

Olette sat at the kitchen table, staring at the omelet her mom had made for her. Although her stomach grumbled, the thought of eating made her feel sick.

Leon sat across from her, his eyes flicking from his plate of bacon to her every few seconds.

"Something wrong?" Olette's mother sat down next to her. "You haven't touched your food."

"Not hungry," Olette mumbled right as her stomach made a big show of proving that she was lying.

"You didn't hear her last night? She was scre-"

"Shut up, Leon" Olette snapped.

"Olette!" her mom scolded. "What was she doing?"

"Nothing," Olette said, before Leon could answer.

"What happened last night was not nothing. I'm surprised she didn't wake you up, Mom. She had a nightmare and woke up crying and screaming."

"Is everything all right?" her mother asked. "I know things have been rough since you and that boy broke up, but is there anything else I should know about?"

"I'm fine," Olette mumbled.

"No you're not," Leon replied. "What happened between you and that little punk?"

"You never did tell us, Honey."

"I don't want to talk about it. Why are you even here, Leon? Do you ever actually go to classes? You're always here," Olette said, her voice a little harsher than she meant it to be.

Leon frowned. "Don't change the subject."

"I have to go; I'm meeting Hayner and Pence." She stood up from the table. "Thanks for breakfast, Mom."

"Olette, Sweetie, we'll all just concerned about you."

"I'm fine." With that she turned and left leaving her unconvinced brother and mother behind.

xXx

"School needs to hurry up and be over with," Hayner said, before taking a sip of his milkshake.

"There's still a few months left," Pence replied. "Besides I thought you weren't in a big hurry to graduate."

"I'm just sick of school."

"I'm sick of people," Olette mumbled. After a few beats of silence she looked up to see Hayner and Pence staring at her.

"Okay, what gives? You've been in a crappy mood for days. What's wrong?" Hayner asked.

"Noth-"

"Don't you dare say 'nothing'. What's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Hayner and Pence exchanged a quick look before nodding at each other. They stood up from the table and walked over to Olette. Hayner stood on her right while Pence took his place at her left.

She eyed them nervously. "What are you guys- Hey!"

Hayner grabbed her under her arms and began to lift her up from the chair.

"Oi! What are you doi-"

Pence grabbed her legs and helped Hayner raise her over the back of the chair and she was held horizontal between the two of them.

"Put me down!" Olette screamed, half laughing.

Hayner and Pence carried her over to the gigantic fountain in the middle of the park. They held her next to the edge and swung her back and forth towards the water.

"No!" Olette exclaimed, now completely smiling.

But the boys did not throw her into the water. Instead they swung her back away from it.

"Tell us what's wrong or you'll be very wet soon," Pence said, cracking up.

"Okay, okay. Now put me down!"

Hayner and Pence gently placed her on her feet. Once free from their grasp she smacked both of them in the head simultaneously.

They just howled with more laughter.

"Fine, let's go find some place less crowded." Olette looped her arms around the two boys' shoulders and began trying to find a quiet spot.

They found a secluded bench in a less popular part of the park and sat down.

"I know I've been in a bad mood lately. And yeah it's because of Roxas," she began.

"We kinda figured as much," Pence replied.

"It's just that I saw him at the party and he was acting really weird. And he's been even weirder ever since."

"Well, Olette, honestly, the kid is just weird. We've had classes with him for five years. There's just something not right with those HEART kids. When you started dating him we were a little worried, but we gave him the benefit of the doubt because we didn't know him all too well and he was really nice to you."

"This is different from him just being weird. He hasn't been himself and it's scaring me. He's a completely different person."

"Did he say something to you?" Hayner asked. "Something to upset you?"

"It's just... hard to explain." She stared down at her hands, trying to find the right words. When they failed to come to her, she sighed. "I just don't understand what happened to him."

"Olette-" Hayner paused.

"Yes?"

"Who ended it between the two of you? You never told us."

"I did." Olette sniffled, trying unsuccessfully to hold back tears. Unwanted memories were rushing back.

Hayner opened his mouth to ask why, but stopped himself when Pence shook his head at him.

"I think we should take you home now. Read a book or get some sleep or something when you get back to your house. Take your mind off things," Pence said gently.

Olette nodded and allowed her two best friends to lead her to Hayner's car.

xXx

Olette stared up at the ceiling, unable to sleep or even read. Her mind refused to relax or focus on anything other than thoughts of Roxas.

_Something is wrong with him. It has to do with that power of his. But what? What happened to you, Roxas? Are you even Roxas anymore? Or are you someone else? _

A sudden loud noise caused her to yelp. She reached over to her nightstand and picked up her vibrating phone, flipping it open.

It read: "_New Text Message: Roxas"_

Olette sprang up from her bed.

He heart beating so loudly she could feel it pounding in her ears, she opened the text.

"_Hey Baby. Want to come over for some fun? I could really use your help with relieving some stress."_

Olette stared at the text message in disbelief. She reread it twice.

_What the hell?_

Not only were the words not making sense, but something in the implied tone was off. It was haughty and suggestive. Could this really have been sent by Roxas? And why after days of not speaking to her did he send it? Was he so crazy now that he believed that she would go after all that had happened?

The phone vibrated a second time in her hand. Another text from Roxas.

"_Ignore that. It was supposed to go to Kairi."_

Olette yelled in anger, throwing her cell phone across the room. It made contact with a pile of books stacked on her desk, sending them tumbling down to the floor.

"Great," she muttered, walking over to the fallen books. She began picking them up, placing them back on the desk. However, the last book caught her attention, and instead of putting it in the stack, she stared at the cover.

It was her favorite book, as well as Roxas's. Seeing it brought back all the memories of them reading it together, including the real ones that had resurfaced from when they were younger.

The book cover was different from that of other books. It had no fancy illustration on the front or even a summary of the story on the back. In fact, it looked more like a journal than a book on the outside. It was plain brown with the title in fancy, swirly cursive. There wasn't even an author's name printed.

Olette traced the letters of the title, feeling cold tears slide down her cheeks. It hurt to see that book. Everything else that had reminded her of Roxas she had quickly hidden away in her closet after that disastrous party. All except the book; she had forgotten about it.

Deciding she needed to hide it away in her closet – at least for a little while – she opened it to a random page to read a part for the last time.

Whispering the words so softy she could barely hear them herself, she read out loud. "_As Terra made his way across the battlefield, the ground littered with bodies left there to rot, he searched for a face he prayed would not be among the lifeless. The stench of death was all around, suffocating him. Yet he continued his search until the sun dipped below the horizon and he was forced to abandon his pursuit. The boy with the vibrant blue eyes had not been found. Whether that was a relief or just meant he had yet to find the body he was looking for, Terra did not know. However, he had little hope he would ever see the boy he once thought was so annoying, but now came to regard as a friend and as a brother._

Olette stopped reading, the image of the boy with blue eyes reminding her too much of Roxas. She wished she had opened the book to a less depressing part of the novel. Of course, she knew that Terra would discover that the boy - whose name was Ventus - was in fact not dead and had managed to escape.

Now that Olette thought of it, she couldn't believe she hadn't noticed the similarities between Ventus and Roxas before now. He was supposed to be a nineteen-year-old with blonde hair and blue eyes. Though he wasn't the main character – Terra, the twenty-five-year-old, who was the unofficial mentor of Ventus, was - Olette had always likes Ventus more. While Terra was so stern, Ventus was more energetic and at times the comic relief, as well as philosophical and a dreamer. The scene in which he died at the hands of the book's antagonist always made Olette cry when she read it. However, she knew it was a critical part because Venitus's death was the last straw for Terra, giving him the strength to kill the villain.

It was an epic fantasy novel about the man, Terra, whose kingdom is raided and put under control by a cruel ruler who was slowly taking over the land. He goes off to find a way to destroy the ruler, drawn to a legend about a sword that can kill the tyrant, who was believed to be immortal. Along the way, in a small village already under rule of the tyrant, he meets Ventus – a young lad, secretly studying outlawed magic - and despite Terra's attempts to convince the boy not to join him, Ventus does so anyway and the two eventually become so close that Terra treats Ventus like a younger brother.

The novel included everything anyone could want in a book; exciting battle scenes, jokes that made you laugh out loud, and even – though not much – romance.

Ventus's love interest was never actually in the book. She was only mentioned and never by name. The only things the reader knew about the girl was that Ventus had been courting her for months and, according to him, was "as beautiful as water in human form". Terra always believed that Ventus was slightly crazy for saying that and would ask him to describe her better, but Ventus would only repeat those same words.

It always saddened her that the book never went into what happened to the girl at the end of the book. She wasn't even a physical character, yet Olette believed the girl did influence the story in important ways. She was the driving force behind Ventus's every decision and plan and she gave him the hope to carry on through the worst until his end.

Reading the book had always made her happy. She supposed the reason behind its effect on her when she bought it a few years ago was because subconsciously the book reminded her of her time with Roxas when they were kids.

She knew he and Naminé were telling her the truth now. Well, she always had known, but had been too afraid of what it would mean, so she forced herself to not believe them.

If Olette closed her eyes and focused, she could almost block out the fake memories, allowing the real ones to be dominant for a moment. But the fakes were still there and they would eventually blend it with the true ones.

She hated those fake memories. Everything in them was off. She wasn't that giggly girl who obsessed over clothes and hair and celebrities. There had been a reason she had drifted away from Belle, Aurora, Jasmine, and Ella. Each of them was that kind of girl and often they were shallow and self-absorbed. Whenever she had hung out with them for those four years, something in the back of mind would tell her something was wrong, that she was different.

In a way she was angry at Naminé for creating the memories that she had. Early teenage years were when people really started to change and shape what the type of person they would later become. Though she never truly lost sight of who she was, hanging out with those girls had influenced her. Now she would always wonder who she would have been had the fake memories not been place inside her mind.

She wanted those false memories to go away, leaving only the real ones. It had been weeks since her last "vision" and she was beginning to worry that no more real memories of that lost year would surface.

Maybe their absence was caused by the sudden lack of time spent around Roxas. After all, they had seemed to appear more frequently when she had been near him. But now it had been such a long time since she had actually spoken to him. She had spent the last few weeks trying to build up a wall to block him out, to just forget their relationship and move on. That wall had just come tumbling down with the texts he had sent her. It sent a wave of pain through her just thinking about him and Kairi together.

Olette knew it was bad for her to want to forget the past months. After all, hadn't she longed for the memories from years ago that had been taken from her? And now she wanted to forget the ones from these past months? It was wrong and stupid and even ironic, but that was how she felt. She only wanted the good. And the ones from this year had once been amazing, but now they were all tainted.

Was it was her fault for pushing him away? Or his for not being completely honest with her? She went back and forth, still not sure. It was most likely both of their faults.

There was no denying that the one vision with the two of them in the woods when he showed her something that was impossible was real. As much as she wanted to pretend it never really happened, Olette knew Roxas had some power. If Naminé was able to erase memories and make new ones, there was no questioning that Roxas creating that ball of swirly blue stuff was real.

But Roxas probably had no idea she knew about that, so he hadn't told her. He was afraid of what she would think of him. That was the only reason for his lying that she could think of.

She should have told him that she knew. Should have told him she wasn't afraid of him instead of telling him he was dangerous and for her own safety she needed to stay away.

_It's dangerous being around you._

The words she had spoken to him a time that seemed forever ago bounced around inside her head, making her cringe.

_I was such a fool_, she thought. _But the truth was that I had been afraid of him in the library. But I should have known it wasn't him. That wasn't Roxas back then. It had been some kind of monster. Something that is once again pretending to be him. That person at school with those harsh blue eyes isn't my Roxas. He's the one from my nightmares._

She stared at the book again, overwhelmed by a sudden surge of emotions. This book had meant so much to the two of them. No one else had known or even heard about it, making it seem as if it was a special gift for the two of them.

Roxas had once told her that the book had been given to him by his mother. That was all the two of them knew about the origins of the book. It was one of those mysteries the two of them so longed to understand, yet knew they would probably never discover the answer.

Olette flipped to the last page of writing, suddenly getting the urge to do so despite not understanding why. After the final page were several blank ones that, of course, she had never bothered to even look at. Once she had finished the book, she had flipped to the first blank page, expecting an epilogue, but when it was apparent one didn't exist, she hadn't bothered to check the others. But something was drawing her to those empty pages. She began to flip through them. With each turn of the page, she expected something amazing to appear, but nothing did. When she reached the last empty page, a feeling of disappointment washed over her.

_I thought…no, I don't know what I was expecting._

Olette started to flip the last page, to check the inside back cover, but stopped suddenly, mid turn.

The page was most definitely heavier than the others. Olette ran her fingers across the edge, to confirm her suspicions.

"Aha!" she exclaimed, as she found an opening with her nails. It was not one page, but several pages stuck together.

It took her a few minutes to pry the pages apart, but when she finally did, she discovered something stuck between the multiple pages.

It was a small piece of paper with tiny, messy, yet still readable, scrawl on it. Picking it up, she felt that it was not just any paper, but a photograph, and she was looking at the back of it.

_To my best friend and love, Aqua, _Olette read. _This is the only picture I could find of the two of us. It was taken back when there was still hope for my brother. You know that I would give anything to jump back into the picture to be again the man I was back then. However, I know that it is impossible to relive the past. These past months have tested me in ways I never would have thought were possible. The only thing that has kept me going this long was the thought of your smile and the memory of holding you close in my arms. I was able to be with you last night, but I fear that it was the last time I will get to see your smile or feel your warmth. I'm off to commit the most horrendous thing I will ever do. I am scared, my love. I wish things had happened differently for me and my brother. I'm giving you this photo to remind you of who I used to be as well as the man my brother once was. I know he was your friend as well and I wish for you to think of him as the smiling person he is in the photo. I love you, Aqua. You are as beautiful as the ocean, my own goddess of water. You wash away my sorrow and anger. I'm so sorry for what I'm about to do and I pray that you can forgive me. I love you._

_-Yours forever,_

_Ventus_

Olette read the signature at the bottom of the page with her mouth agape in disbelief.

_Ventus? As in the character from the book? Impossible!_

With tremblingly fingers, she turned the photograph over.

"No," she whispered, the photo slipping from her fingers and landing on the floor. After a few minutes, she bent down to pick it up, her whole body shaking.

The picture was of two boys with their arms around each other's shoulders. One was dark haired with eerily yellow eyes and handsome features.

The other was…

"Roxas," she whispered.

Only it couldn't be him. The photo looked as if it were over a hundred years old.

Olette brought it closer to her, her eyes scrutinizing the blonde boy's face. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the boy looked only a few years older than Roxas. There was also something different about his smile, though she couldn't exactly pinpoint the reason behind it.

_Blonde hair and blue eyes…Ventus._

But it couldn't have been. He was just a character from a book.

Yet here he was. Her eyes glanced over the other boy again, in hopes that perhaps he would match the description of Terra in the book. But no, he only looked similar to Venitus. Just with different coloring and a hardened look in his yellow eyes.

Olette flipped the photo over and read the letter again. The recipient was named Aqua and Venitus made several comparisons of her with water.

Was it possible that she was the nameless love interest in the book?

_No. It's just a story. It can't be real. _

But before this year, she also didn't think people could control memories or whatever Roxas could make were real either.

Olette stared at the book now lying on the floor.

Was it possible that the book once belonged to Aqua? Or even that she could have been the author?

_Yes, _Olette thought. _I'm sure she was. _She didn't understand why or how she knew, but she did. Her gut was telling her she was correct.

She was also certain that, somehow, this was all related to Roxas. If all this time in Twilight Town had only taught her one thing, it was that there was no such thing as a coincidence.

So what did you think! Tell me! Be the 100th reviewer!

I'm working on the next chapter as we speak so stay tuned. Thanks again for reading.


	25. Trapped:R

So after what seems like forever here is the newest chapter. I'm sorry it took so long. I had this written before summer started but my editor kept forgetting about it and since she's been uber busy I've decided just to post it anyways. Hope you enjoy!

_**You wanted the "Chosen One"?**_

_**Someone to fulfill your little prophecy?**_

_**Someone to bring the world into Darkness?**_

_**Well, you know what they say.**_

_**Be careful what you wish for.**_

xXx

Roxas yawned. He wasn't tired, but rather bored. The past two hours had been filled with him sitting in one of the training rooms, watching the others play around. There were no elders present, but Roxas still wasn't allowed to leave. The teens had been told that they were to train for at least five hours. It would be up to them how they organize the session, but they still had to do something.

So here Roxas was, watching as Larxene and Axel "fought" while Demyx and Zexion critiqued them from the sidelines. Roxas too was on the sidelines, but for the most part he had stayed silent.

After all they weren't really battling, more like goofing off and flirting with one another.

"You call that an attack?" Larxene shouted, laughter in her voice.

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you." Axel shot another (weak in Roxas's opinion) fireball at her. She shot it back to him with the knives between her fingers. Axel caught it, letting it extinguish in his hand.

"Hey!" Demyx yelled, a smile on his face. "Enough mushy playful crap. Let's see some action!"

"I second that," replied Zexion flatly. Although everyone knew it was more because of his crush for Larxene that for anything else.

"Awww, Zexy," Larxene crooned. "Come out and play!"

Zexion's cheeks turned pink in response, but he didn't take her up on the offer to join.

"Roxas, don't you want to join?" Demyx, asked, looking down at where he was sitting. It seemed that Demyx was still clueless to Roxas's interference in his last battle. While Axel now seemed hostile toward him a good ninety percent of the time, Demyx still remained chipper as well as oblivious to Roxas's dislike of him.

_**At least I'm still fooling someone,**_Roxas thought. He had the very strong suspicion that Axel no longer believed his act of pretending to fight the Darkness. It didn't really bother him much. Axel wasn't any sort of threat to him.

"I'm good," Roxas answered, trying to mimic the happy, sincere way he used to talk.

"Demyx, it's your turn." Axel was walking toward them. He sat down right beside Roxas, surprising him.

"Okay." Demyx entered the battle field. "Water and lightning. Should be interesting."

Larxene snorted. "Be prepared to lose to a girl, my friend."

The two took their battle stances.

"Now," Axel whispered so only Roxas could hear, "you might have them fooled, but you're an idiot if you think that I don't realize who you are."

Roxas turned so that he could meet Axel's eyes, his lips curling into a smile. "And who might that be?"

Axel's green eyes burned. "The thing I'm going to destroy."

Roxas laughed, quietly, watching as the sound made Axel flinch. "Axel, I thought we were best friends."

"You aren't Roxas."

The smile widened. "See, that's where you're wrong. I am Roxas. Just not the same one you know."

"No, you are the one who is wrong. My best friend is in there somewhere. He made a dumb mistake, but I will not let it destroy him."

"Axel." The soft spoken word left Roxas's mouth without his consent. This time it was Axel who smiled.

"So what?" Roxas asked, smirking. "The Light gets loose occasionally. The instances are getting fewer. It's just a matter of time before he's gone entirely."

"If that happens, I will kill you, I guarantee it. That little bit of Light is the only thing preventing me from ripping your head off right now."

"Ooooh, I'm so scared."

"Roxas," Axel stated, his voice strong yet still gentle, "I haven't given up on you. Keep fighting."

"He's not here. Try back later," Roxas replied, sardonically.

The smile slipped away from Axel's face. However there was still a glimmer of determination in his bright eyes.

Roxas rolled his eyes and stood up, beginning to walk toward the door.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing!" Larxene shouted as he interrupted her and Demyx's battle.

"Leaving. I'm bored."

"Dude, don't. The Elders will get pissed," Demyx said.

Roxas laughed darkly, never stopping. "What could they possibly do to me?" With that he threw open the door, leaving behind three taken aback teenagers and an annoyed Axel.

xXx

It was hot. Much too hot for an overlong black cloak. Yet, here Roxas was, being forced to wear one.

_**These meetings are so dumb, **_he complained to himself. He had no clue what was being discussed. Not that he even cared.

Because he was having a feast.

The Darkness in the confined room was enough to keep him well fed for days.

There were all kinds of it, too. Lust. Anger. Cruelty. Fear.

All of it delicious. Roxas was almost trembling with pleasure. He was having trouble keeping still.

It was the best thing he had ever experienced.

He bit the inside of his mouth, hoping the pain would calm him down. It didn't.

To his left sat Axel who seemed to notice Roxas's strange behavior. He stared at him, utterly confused.

Roxas didn't blame him. He probably looked like he was having a fit.

All the Darkness just felt so good. It was difficult to keep his hands from shaking. There almost too much.

Roxas closed his eyes, focusing on the different types of Darkness. He mentally was able to sort them. From there he could ignore some.

That helped dull the pleasure. Made the shaking stop.

But now that he was no longer overwhelmed he could sense the individuality of each emotion. Before he could only feel anger, but now he could feel Axel's specific anger.

The driving force behind it. The intensity of it.

For a brief second it was almost as if he was Axel. But Roxas hated when he actually felt like another person. So he focused less on the anger and it faded a little.

By now Roxas could control exactly how he experienced the Darkness. Could make it feel stronger or weaker if needed to be.

Shoving aside the anger, he decided to sample a bit of the cruelty radiating from the elders.

His lips curled into smile.

Cruelty was more powerful than most Darkness. It tasted the strongest.

Roxas sighed. He never wanted this feeling to end.

"Roxas!" someone hissed.

He jumped; the Darkness slipping into the background.

"What, Axel?"

The redhead was staring at Roxas with a look of disgust.

"We can go now. They dismissed us."

Roxas looked around, seeing that Zexion, Demyx, and Larxene were walking toward the door. The Elder's chairs had begun to rise; some higher than others.

Roxas stood up. He and Axel left the room, neither speaking. They continued in silence until it came time to break off from the hall and into their own rooms.

But just before Roxas opened his door, Axel grabbed him by the arm and pulled him inside his room.

"What the hell?" Roxas angrily exclaimed. He was shoved toward the bed.

Axel shut his door and turned around to face Roxas.

Roxas smirked and sat down. "What do you want, Axel?"

Axel didn't reply. Instead he threw off his cloak and reached into his jeans pocket, pulling out a small white box.

Roxas raised his left eyebrow at the cigarette box.

Axel slipped a cigarette out of the box and lit it with a snap of his fingers. Then he took the lit end and pressed it to his arm.

"Axel, don't!" Roxas sprang off the bed and made a grab for the cigarette. Axel moved aside, letting the cigarette touch his skin.

Roxas gained his balance, shaking his head, trying to clear it. "You bastard," he growled.

Axel pulled the cigarette away. It had left no burn mark. A smug expression made its way onto his face.

"Do you really think that something like that would make your friend break through his prison?" Roxas asked.

"Not permanently. But I'm gonna try every chance I get. Roxas knows how these scars torment me. I knew he'd resurface for a second if I tried that. Now sit."

"Not a chance in he-"

"Sit," Axel commanded.

Roxas did so; annoyed, even though he knew he could take Axel easily if he wanted to. "Why didn't it burn you?"

Axel pulled his desk chair in front of the door and sat. "Fire no longer burns me. The perk of controlling it."

"Yes, but the memory of those scars still do," Roxas replied, enjoying Axel's sudden sift in Darkness.

"Why do you like to cause so much misery?" Axel asked, choosing to ignore Roxas's comment.

"It's fun," laughed the blonde. "It also dims the Light just a bit. Did you know that every time you do something to bring your friend out, you just end up making it worse for him?"

"You're lying," Axel snarled through gritted teeth.

Roxas smiled. "The Light doesn't like seeing his friends in pain. That's what lets him loose for a few seconds. But once he's buried again, knowing that it's his fault you're all suffering, it tortures him. His hope is slowly diminishing. He's almost gone.

"No," Axel snarled again. "Roxas is not gone. He won't give up."

"You keep forgetting that I am in fact Roxas. It was my choice to let the Darkness take control. The tiny amount of Light left will give in eventually. He's in pain. He'll make the same choice I did."

Axel stood up, his fists clenched. "I don't care what you say. You are not Roxas."

Roxas stood up as well, the cold smile still present on his face. "Fine, you can believe that. But the truth is that the Darkness trapped the Light, but still left things behind. It did not just create the traits you currently hate out of thin air. They were always there; the Darkness just unmasked them."

Axel grabbed him by the shoulders, looking him square in the eyes. "Roxas, don't believe that. This isn't you. You aren't this monster in front of me. Remember Demyx. Remember me. Remember Olette."

At her name, Roxas anticipated the burning sensation he was so use to the Light forcing on him. But it did not come.

"Sorry, guess that didn't hit hard enough."

Axel let go of him and stepped back. "Get out."

Roxas smirked and walked past Axel. But before he left he heard the redhead whisper faintly, "I'm not giving up."

Roxas went inside his own room and lay down on the bed.

Grinning to himself he thought, _**Trust me, Axel. Soon, even you won't have hope left.**_

xXx

_**Well, this was different. **_

_**What, no ominous stain glass platform? No Dark abyss surrounding me?**_

_**I was standing in a clearing. One that seemed faintly familiar. Yet I couldn't seem to grasp how I knew it.**_

_**There was too much sunlight. I glanced up, seeing the baby blue sky. **_

_**The whole place was too cheery.**_

_**It creeped me out a bit.**_

_**The woods surrounding me where still and quiet. I stood there, waiting.**_

_**Something had to happen. **_

_**It seemed like hours had gone by before something did. **_

_**Footsteps crunching on leaves came from behind. I spun, expecting Ven or Vanitas to be there.**_

_**Instead I found me.**_

_**Well, twelve year old me.**_

_**He walked right past me, almost as if he couldn't see me. Which I figured he couldn't considering he would most likely be weirded out of he saw the older version of himself.**_

_**Only, I realized that I wasn't really the older version of the kid. No, the only way I would have been was if the Light was still here, balancing out the Dark.**_

_**This kid was the person I used to be. The person I was never going to be again.**_

_**I watched him as he sat down on the ground against a tree and pulled a paperback out of his jacket pocket.**_

_**It was strange seeing him. This was who everyone kept telling me was the real Roxas. Or at least the kid version of him.**_

_**But why did no one noticed the pained look in his eye? The anger bubbling just below surface. Why did no one see that he was hiding all this Darkness inside of him?**_

"_**Because Roxas didn't let it consume him," said a quiet voice to my left.**_

"_**Hello, Ven," I replied flatly, not thrilled to see him. **_

"_**The Light is better than you because it acknowledged pain and it dealt with it. You just let the Darkness destroy."**_

_**I didn't respond. **_

"_**He's almost gone," Ven whispered.**_

"_**Yup."**_

"_**Are you proud?"**_

_**I turned to look at him. His tone angered me. "Wasn't this my purpose?" I spat the words out at him. "All my life I felt like an outsider. Even when surrounded by freaks like me, I was still different. They all told me I was special. That I would be the one to change the world."**_

"_**Into what, though? What good comes out of the world in chaos? What will you Nobodies do once you are victorious? There are only so many of you. Do you really think that everyone else will just sit back and let you control their lives?"**_

_**I grinned. "There may be more of them, but there is no denying that Nobodies are more powerful. Hell, I'm practically a god."**_

_**Ven shook his head sadly. "You sound just like my brother did."**_

"_**Well, we do share the same power."**_

"_**No, Roxas. You are much more powerful than he was. Which is why I think it's more tragic. He had no Light. Your element may have been the Darkness, but the Light inside of you was always stronger. It's heartbreaking to see it extinguished."**_

"_**I'm happier this way. The Darkness feels good. No more pain," I replied.**_

"_**You're wrong. Can't you hear all the screaming? The Light is crying out in agony. You didn't throw away your pain. You just buried it deep down. And if the Light wasn't so weak it would eventually tear you apart from the inside. But you keep feeding the Darkness. Try to listen; maybe you'll hear the person you really are. Maybe you'll remember the man you once were, instead of the coward you are now."**_

"_**Shut up!" I yelled. "I'm sick of you all trying to fix me. Tired of you trying to get the old Roxas back. He's gone! Get used to it."**_

_**Ven remained silent for a few minutes. Then he said softly, "You have no idea where we are, do you?"**_

"_**What does it matter?"**_

_**He stared at me, his eyes melancholic. "It matters greatly."**_

"_**No, I don't kn-" I broke off.**_

_**It had taken all this time, but I finally recognized the clearing. It was **_**our **_**clearing.**_

_**The one where Olette and I…**_

_**No, this was the old Roxas's place. I had no connection to it. Not anymore.**_

_**Ven was watching me carefully. "Go see what book he's reading," he said, referring to kid Roxas.**_

_**I had almost forgotten he was in the clearing with us. Walking up to him, I saw the brown book in his hands. **_

_**It had been my favorite- still was though I hadn't read it in forever. It was also Olette's.**_

_**The book had always been a mystery. My mother had given it to me when I was younger. She had told me it was very special, but never explained why.**_

_**It was strange thinking about her for just a second. There was no emotional attachment to her. Remembering her death or even her when she was alive just left me feeling numb. As if the connection with her had been severed. **_

"_**What's its significance?" I asked Ven, pushing aside the thoughts about my mother.**_

"_**Do you remember who your favorite character was?"**_

"_**Yes, Ventus, the-" I looked over at Ven.**_

_**He smiled at me. **_

"_**You've got to be kidding me."**_

"_**Don't start thinking it's a true story because it is fantasy. However, the author, Aqua, the women I loved, did give tribute by naming the character after me. Though no one except her ever called me by my full name. Terra, too, was someone she knew. He was a Nobody that controlled earth. I never knew him. He died before my brother and I joined the school of Nobodies."**_

"_**Was Aqua one?"**_

"_**Yes, and her element isn't hard to guess. She created that sitar your friend Demyx wields. Though he doesn't know it, he does not produce the weapon, but merely summons the weapon she put her soul into. Although by wielding it, it has become part of him, just as your Keyblades have become a part of you." He paused, realizing he had gotten off topic. "Anyways, the book is extremely rare. There are only five copies. The one you have which has been passed down in your family, along with four others- all lost, well, except Olette's copy."**_

_**Once again her name did not produce the burning feeling, but instead something different. Something so strong I almost reeled back from the shock.**_

_**Hatred. Pure hatred. I wanted to cause her pain. Wanted to destroy her.**_

_**Ven's eyes hardened, almost as if he knew the reaction her name had caused. **_

"_**It is no coincidence that Olette found one of the copies, Roxas. Just like it is no coincidence that she moved to Twilight Town of all places. You want to know why the Light reacts so positively to her, while the Dark detests her. It's because she is your Light. The thing you love the most. She keeps that Light burning in you, despite your efforts to destroy it."**_

_**I was shaking now. I loathed Olette, loathed how even now she manipulated how I felt. **_

"_**She's nothing special!" I snapped.**_

"_**Yes, she is. That's why the Darkness hates her so much. It knows that she will be the one to free the Light from its prison and put the Darkness back where it belongs. The Darkness fears her so it makes you want to hurt her."**_

"_**I don't care about that bitch! She's nothing to me."**_

"_**Really, now?" Ven questioned, raising his eyebrows. His eyes looked past me. I turned to see what had captured his attention.**_

_**A girl was now sitting beside kid Roxas. Her head was leaning against his shoulder as the two of them read the one book. **_

_**Her chocolate brown hair fell across her face and she moved to place it back behind her ear. **_

"_**Don't you remember how she used to make you feel?" Ven said from beside me.**_

_**Kid Roxas chuckled at something funny he had just read, followed by Olette's soft giggle a few moments later. She had always been a slightly slower reader than me and I had often teased her about it.**_

_**The sound of her laughter made me cringe. **_

"_**No," I replied, my voice void of emotion.**_

_**I was sick of this scene. Sick of the memories.**_

_**I snapped my fingers, plunging the woods into Darkness.**_

_**I thought I heard Ven cry out in anguish, but I could have been mistaken.**_

_**Because the moment the Darkness consumed the Light, the only noise ringing in my ears was the sound of a young boy and girl screaming.**_

_**It was music to my ears.**_

xXx

Kairi let out a soft moan of pleasure as Roxas kissed the soft flesh at the base of her neck.

"Roxas, wait-"

He interrupted her by pressing his lips to her, kissing her deeply. She tried to push him away, but he resisted.

She struggled to pull away, but Roxas only pushed her harder up against the wall as his hands traveled further up her skirt.

"Roxas!" she gasped, managing to break free.

"Yeah?" He went in for another kiss, but she dodged him.

Feeling frustrated he stepped back and ran his fingers through his hair. "What?"

"I'm sorry. It's just that, um can we take a break from this?" she asked, sounding almost meek.

Her question annoyed Roxas. Then again, these past few days everything set him off. After that stupid dream with Ven, his anger never seemed to go away.

"Why?" he asked rather harshly.

"It's just that Sora and I are doing pretty good right now and I just don't want to-"

"What?" he snapped.

No, he couldn't deal with this right now. He needed her to help keep his mind off the pounding that never ended inside his head. So much built up frustration. He needed something to distract him.

Every time he saw that green eyed, brunette, he felt like ripping someone's (mostly her) head off. The sight of her made his blood boil.

But he couldn't hurt her. At least not yet. Not until he was sure the Light was so weak that it couldn't fight and break free.

Almost time. He could feel it. He just needed a little more distracting.

"Roxas, did you really think this was going to go on forever?" She laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. I mean, this is fun and all, but come on."

_**Why the sudden change of heart? **_he thought. _**Hmmm,**_ _**I guess she just needs a little more pushing. **_

Roxas focused, feeling around the Darkness Kairi formed. It was true that her disloyalty had decreased dramatically since their last "meeting". But Roxas could still sense it. Concentrating, he brought it forward, making it more prominent. Then he strengthened it.

His work was evident in her face immediately after he had done so.

"Baby," he said, "you know you want me. Don't stop the fun yet, because you're afraid of that idiot finding out."

Kairi flashed him a wicked smile. "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt."

"Good girl," Roxas replied, before picking up where they had left off of.

Roxas shivered, enjoying not only the taste of her lips, but the taste of her Darkness as well. He couldn't decide which fed his appetite more.

A few more minutes passed before Kairi started to get fidgety again.

"Roxas, bell is going to ring soon."

"No one is in here first period," he replied, between kisses.

She giggled. "I have to get to class."

She took her hands off his waste to try to playfully push him away. But before she had the chance to Roxas grabbed her wrists.

"Ow!"

Roxas ignored her, continuing to kiss her.

Yet, despite his efforts she tried to get him to move back.

"You're hurting me!" she gasped.

He tightened his grip, pinning her arms to the wall.

Roxas vehemently pushed her again, this time causing her to hit her head on the wall. Though there was a loud bang when the two made contact, he ignored it.

"Stop it, Roxas!"

"Shut up!" he snarled, digging his nails into her flesh. His kiss deepened, becoming more aggressive. Kairi whimpered.

_**Shut up, stupid bitch! I hate you. You and your soft, brown hair. I hate you fucking bright green eyes! Your damn sweet smile. I hate you!**_

Kairi was crying now. She had even stopped fighting, but instead stood there, letting him kiss her.

Roxas didn't even notice her surrendering. In fact he didn't even register that it was her anymore.

All he could think of was the most beautiful girl he had ever met. In his mind, it was her and not Kairi currently pressed against the wall.

She was the one who caused all his problems. The one that made him so furious.

He wanted to hurt her. Wanted her to suffer.

_**Olette, you bitch! I fucking hate you! I'm going to kil-**_

"Roxas!"

Roxas pulled away from Kairi and spun around.

There stood Naminé, looking completely horrified.

From behind him, Kairi sobbed loudly.

It took a few seconds for Naminé to react, but she ran over and pushed Roxas out of the way.

"Shh, Kairi, It's all right. It'll be okay."

Roxas turned to look at the two girls. They were both sitting on the ground. Naminé had her arms around Kairi, trying to calm her down.

Naminé then placed her left hand on Kairi's forehead. She closed her eyes and began whispering something to Kairi that Roxas wasn't able to hear.

Kairi slowly stopped crying, her eyes getting droopier by the second. After a few minutes they closed completely as her expression turned peaceful.

Naminé let go of her and gently laid her on the floor, as she fell asleep.

After a moment of utter silence, Naminé stood and faced Roxas.

He smirked at her, knowing that she was too timid to do anything to him.

But he was greatly surprised. She walked over to him, her blue eyes never leaving his, and smacked him across the face.

Roxas staggered backwards, taken aback, and merely laughed.

Naminé stared at him; her eyes cold. "You're disgusting," she told him.

He laughed again.

"I can't believe you. How could you do such a thing, Roxas?"

"What? We both know that you're aware of who I am. No longer the golden, sweet boy. Besides, we were just making out. I didn't try to force her to go further."

"You were still hurting her! She wanted you to stop!"

"Naminé," Roxas said, smiling cruelly, "Why do you care about her?"

"What?" Naminé replied, quietly.

"Why do you care? She doesn't care about you."

"Yes, she does," she said, though there was a hint of hesitation in her voice.

"No. She makes fun of where you live. Makes fun of the people you live with. Spreads rumors about your friends. Hell, she even tried to recruit that little bitch into your group. And when she noticed Riku liked the new girl she tried to get them together, even though she was perfectly aware how you already felt about him. But that didn't matter, now did it? Riku wanted the sweet, incorruptible girl, so he could prove that he could make any girl do his will. So Kairi helped him. It was only after Riku was rejected that Kairi helped you and him get together. Because Riku wanted someone. Kairi knew you liked him. Knew Riku could easily be controlling with you. Knew he could get his daily dose of girl with you. So she dug her claws into your life and manipulated you both. She knew he still wanted _her_ instead of you. Knew he still flirted with _her. _But never once told you. Her "best friend". Yeah, she really cares about you."

Tears streamed down Namine's pale cheeks, but when she spoke her voice was strong. "You can't even say her name anymore, can you?"

Roxas flinched, his smiling slipping from his face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Olette. You can't even say her name anymore. It makes you sick to do so."

"Shut up."

"It because the Darkness fears her. Knows she can stop it."

"I said shut up!"

Tendrils of smoky black Darkness shot out at Naminé. She cried out in pain as they wrapped around her throat.

Using the Darkness, he lifted her up in the air. She thrashed around, desperate to breathe.

"The Light isn't breaking through this time to save you," Roxas said, his voice twisted and sharp. "No one is comi-ah!"

He broke off and clutched his hands to his head. His head felt like it was about to explode.

The tendrils suffocating Naminé slipped and faded away. She fell to the floor, gasping for air.

Roxas fell to his knees, the searing pain still pounding in his head.

And then suddenly everything went black.

xXx

_**Where am I?**_

_**My eyes were closed, but I could still sense that I was lying down on soft grass. I breeze swept by and I shivered. All was silent.**_

_**Opening my eyes, I saw trees in every direction. **_

_**The woods.**_

_**I stood up gingerly. **_

_**How had I gotten here? What I had been doing beforehand?**_

_**What the hell was goi-?**_

"_**I still don't understand," stammered a girl's voice from somewhere.**_

_**I looked around. No was here.**_

"_**You promised," whimpered a boy's voice. "Please don't be afraid of me. You're my only friend, Olette. My best friend. I don't know what I'd do without you."**_

_**The voices were coming from somewhere. They echoed off the trees, filling the forest. **_

"_**I think it's cool. You're just like the superheroes in those comics my brother reads," said the girl after a long pause.**_

"_**You're not afraid? I'm some kind of freak and you think it's cool?" There was great joy as well as relief in his tone.**_

"_**Yup."**_

_**Thank you, Olette, I mouthed, just as the other boy spoke the words.**_

_**I had known what he was going to say. Because five years ago I had spoken those exact words to Olette in the clearing.**_

_**Right after I had shown her what I could do. **_

"_**I still don't understand." **_

_**I jumped, surprised.**_

_**A few seconds later I heard the memory of me repeat what he had said earlier. **_

"_**You promised. Please don't be afraid of me. You're my only friend, Olette. My best friend. I don't know what I'd do without you."**_

_**The dialog continued from there. Once it was done it began to repeat itself. **_

_**I started to run, trying to escape the never ending voices. But it was useless. The noise continued to follow me, no matter how fast I tried to flee.**_

_**Almost as if the memory was haunting me. **_

_**After minutes of dodging trees and sprinting until my legs ached, I stopped.**_

_**Light came from up ahead.**_

_**And the voices got louder.**_

_**The clearing.**_

_**I had not been able to get away from it, but instead only managed to run strait to it.**_

_**The voices had gotten so loud now that my head was starting to throb.**_

_**So I turned and ran back in the other direction. Only this time the same thing happened.**_

_**How could I have run away from the clearing and still managed to find my way back to it?**_

_**It was impossible. **_

_**No! I refuse to enter it.**_

_**The voices then became so loud that everywhere, every thing was shaking. **_

_**And I knew the only way to make it stop was to step into that clearing.**_

_**So I did.**_

_**There stood twelve-year-old me showing twelve year old Olette my ability to create Darkness, though I didn't know what it was at that time.**_

_**I watched as horror flashed across Olette's face and then slowly changed into wonderment. Watched as the two embraced.**_

_**The scene made me sick to see. **_

_**This time the dialog did not start over. **_

_**The woods were filled with status and it began to flicker, like when a television loses its signal. **_

_**When it all had subsided the two preteens were gone and I was no longer standing in the forest but rather a classroom.**_

_**Standing in front of me was Olette, wearing her school uniform. I looked down, seeing that I too was wearing mine.**_

"_**Roxas!" she laughed. "Hold on, let me put my stuff down first."**_

_**My mouth opened without me telling it to and I laughed. "Yeah."**_

_**The words came out too despite me not wanting to say them. **_

_**Olette walked over to a desk and put her backpack on the floor. "You seem chipper today."**_

_**"'Cause I'm alone with the girl I love," I replied.**_

_**Though I tried to keep my mouth shut, the words came tumbling out. On the words "love" I felt bile churn in my throat.**_

_**A wide smile spread across her face. She skipped forward and kissed me passionately. **_

_**Just like my mouth had moved without my consent, so did my arms. I pulled her closer to me and put my arms around her waist. **_

_**It was if I no longer had control over my body. Her touch burned and more than anything I wanted to pull away, but I couldn't. My mind and my body refused to cooperate with one another.**_

_**"Love you," I whispered between kisses I gave her.**_

_**Though the words were there the feelings behind them were not. More than anything I wanted to stop. Stop holding her. Stop kissing her. But I couldn't. I was stuck in the memory. **_

_**Only this time I was not a mere spectator, but a participant.**_

_**It continued on just like it had happened the first time. **_

_**Finally the scene turned into static. It faded, leaving only me behind.**_

_**I moved my arm, instant relief washing over me.**_

_**My skin wouldn't stop crawling. The whole ordeal made me nauseous. **_

_**More static.**_

xXx

Roxas woke to the sound of whispering voices. He remained motionless, keeping his eyes closed, trying to listen.

"Is she okay?" The voice belonged to Axel.

"I think so. I made her forget the whole thing. She was so afraid."

_**Naminé and Axel. Should have known.**_

"Did he try to-"

"No, he was just sort of kissing her. But she has bruises all over of her wrists. That will be hard to explain."

"What the fuck was he thinking!"

"Shh. I don't know. He's not him right now. Hasn't been for a while. I told you it would get worse."

"I know, it's just- it's still hard seeing him like this. I hate that I can't help him."

"So do I. Even though before this year Roxas and I weren't really friends. He hated me and I just avoided him. I knew he was angry. But then we started to become closer. He started to care about me. I've always felt guilty about what I did to him, but now I feel more than that. I care about him. I want him back."

"We all do. Hey, you okay? How badly did he hurt you? That doesn't look too good."

"I'm fine. What I did to him will cause him more pain than anything that his physical Darkness can do."

"What _did_ you do, Naminé? He's out cold."

"I'm sorry, I had no choice.

"I know that. But what made him stop?"

"The Darkness has one weakness. I exploited it. It hates Olette, because it knows she makes the Light stronger. So I trapped him in memories of her."

Axel whistled appreciatively. "Damn."

"He left me no choice. I didn't want to hurt him." Her voice broke on the last words.

"Awww, Naminé. Don't cry. Shh, it's all right."

Roxas smirked, enjoying not only the sounds of her sobs, but the increase of Darkness in the room that came with it.

He opened his eyes, deciding that it was time for him to get up.

"Now ain't that touching," he said, standing up.

Axel had his arms around Naminé, hugging her. He pulled back.

"Roxas," he stated, his eyes cold.

"Oh, don't stop on my account." Roxas grinned. "I know how you prefer blondes."

Axel eyes hardened at the reference to his past with Larxene, but other than that he gave no reaction.

"Come on, _friend. _It's no fun when you don't fight back. Well, not entirely true. But still. Give your usual angry reaction." Then shifting his tone to mimic Axel's he said, "'You're not Roxas. You're a monster. I will destroy you…'" he trailed off, laughing darkly. Turning to Naminé he added, "Don't worry, those blisters on your neck will only get more painful."

Axel tensed, stepping forward. Roxas merely smirked.

"Naminé," Axel said gently, "go back to your room. Thanks for the help, but I'll take it from here."

She nodded, her eyes appearing almost bluer from the tears still streaming down her cheek. She turned and left, rubbing her neck from where Roxas had hurt her.

Roxas grinned, watching her leave.

All of a sudden, he was pushed backwards. While he had his attention on Naminé, Axel had stepped closer to him, punching him in the face while he was distracted.

Roxas landed on the bed. He sat up, grinning. "That's right, Axel. You hate me. Let loose that anger. I know it's there. I can taste it."

The room was full of it. It filled every crack, every space.

Stronger than it had ever been before.

Axel walked over to the bed and grabbed Roxas by his shirt and pushed him into the wall.

Roxas began to laugh, his eyes turning black. Axel reeled back his arm and punched him a second time.

Blood poured from Roxas's nose, but he still continued to cackle. "Wow, Axel. I've never felt something this strong. It's delicious. So much rage."

Axel staggered back, looking sickened.

"Don't stop. Hurt me. Kill me. You know you want to." When Axel remained frozen, Roxas's lips curled into a malicious smile. "See you can't bring yourself to it."

"No," Axel whispered. "I can't. I can't kill the thing wearing my best friend's face."

"It's because you're weak. Always have been. Even your anger isn't enough to fuel you. Not even your hatred."

"I don't care what you say. You aren't Roxas. And I may hate you, but I love him. He's the best person I know. It's not his fault he got dealt a crappy hand. He tried to fight you, but even the best of us fail. It's not fair that you took him away from us!" Axel was shouting now. "It's not fair that you've trapped him. I don't care that you say you are a product of him. He may have not been a saint. He may have had all this hidden Darkness, but it's because of _you_ that it's gotten this bad. You've turned him into this monster. So don't you _**dare **_say that you are Roxas. You may think you are, but you're not! You are a poison. A sickness. Nothing more."

"Oh, Axel, you hurt me so."

"Shut up!"

Roxas stood up from the bed, smirking. He disregarded the blood still trailing down his face. "You know what would be the finally straw for the Light? I could kill you right now, Axel. Choke you with your own pain. It would be so easy for me. Second nature, even. And poof! The Light would be gone."

"So why don't you?" Axel asked, defiantly

"Because it's more fun to make you watch the Darkness control your friend. It forces him to do terrible things he would never have dreamed of. And when I finally fulfill that prophecy, I want you be alive to watch the world overcome by shadow. I want you to see the monster I've forced your best friend to become. I want you to be there when I've destroyed everything he once was."

"You won't get there, buddy. I may not be able to stop you, but someone will."

"Who? That bitch? Yeah right. She won't be as fortunate as you." Roxas moved to walk past Axel, but Axel grabbed him by the arm.

"If you touch her, the Light will break free. Roxas won't let anyone hurt Olette," Axel growled.

Roxas smirked. "That may have been the case a while back, but it's too late now. The Light is fading, Axel. He has no strength left. The Roxas you knew is dead." He pulled free from Axel's grip. "Here," he said, untwisting the black and white rings from his fingers, "you can keep these as a memento to remind you of your friend. I don't need them anymore."

With that he threw the rings on the floor and left the room.

xXx

So what did you think? Tell me!

There's like two scenes in here that evey time I read I cringe, but I just didn't know how to make it better.

Someone asked me if I had given up on this due to the lack of updating. I promise that I will finsih this story. Updates may take a while once school starts, but I will finish this. It's my brainchild. I plan to have it finished by the end of the upcoming school year so stay tuned!


	26. Afraid of the Dark:O

Holy smokes Batman, finally an update. Wow I can't remember how long it's been. Sorry guys. But I will continue writing til the end!

To Razberry Pineapple; Wow an uber long review. I loved it! I found it so funny that you mentioned the scene with Roxas. When I was writing ti I was like wow he sounds like he's getting horny. Yeah, it most defiently made me cringed, I knew someone else would get that impression. Lol. You asked if Aqua was Roxas's mother. In a prevoius chapter Ven stated he was Roxas's great grandfather. So Aqua would be his great grandmother. I can't remember what chapter it was, but anyways. As for the Namine thing, yeah she was making him relive memories so he couldn't kill her. Sorry if that was a tiny bit unclear. Thanks for reviewing!. It made my day.

So here's the chapter. Enjoy!

Oh for some reason when i type out the littel lines to seperate the author's note and the chapter it doesn't save it. Sorry guys, I'm not sure why.

_I had to catch him. _

_Everything that mattered, everything I cared about, would be lost if I didn't._

_Though I had no idea why I thought that, I knew it to be true. _

_He darted in between the trees, his long black cloak always trailing behind him. The hood had fallen back from his face so I could see his untidy blonde hair. _

_He never looked back at me, nor did he shout anything; he just kept running._

_Away from me._

_Why were we always like this? One leaving the other behind._

_Sometimes by force._

_Sometimes by choice._

_But not this time. I _was _going to catch him. He wasn't getting away._

_I wasn't very far behind. A few more feet and I would have been able to reach out and touch the hood of his cloak._

"_Roxas!" I cried out. _

_With one strong burst of energy, I rushed forward, my fingers closing around the hood. I stopped running and pulled._

_Roxas stumbled back._

_The sound of my heavy breathing was the only noise disrupting the silence, filling the air around us._

_He regained his balance and turned to face me._

_Flat, dead eyes met mine._

xXx

Olette woke with a start. Beside her, the alarm clock was beeping. Whether it was that or her nightmare that had woken her up, she didn't know. Whatever the reason, she wished she hadn't. She was curious about what would have happened next.

"Guess, I'll never know," she mumbled, getting up out of bed.

It seemed like a lifetime ago that she had first dreamt about the strange boy running through the woods.

In a way, it was another life. So much had changed ever since she had moved to Twilight Town. The world as she perceived it was different. As if she had been blindfolded for five years and now she could see clearly.

Now she knew that people with extraordinary abilities did exist outside of comic books and television shows. The idea still seemed crazy to her, but she had seen with her own eyes the special things that some could do.

Naminé could manipulate memories. Roxas could create _something. _Though she wasn't exactly sure what it was, she had a suspicion it was Darkness. But never before had she read a book or seen a show where someone could do that. Normally, they could control elements such as water and fire. The one thing she was pretty positive about was that all the others at HEART had powers as well.

When that thought had first crossed her mind, she had been hurt. Axel and Demyx were supposed to be her friends. But they had lied to her. It didn't take long for her to realize though that she was being idiotic. Of course they hadn't told her. In the first place, she wouldn't have believed them. Secondly, if she had been in their situation, she wouldn't have told anyone either.

Well, maybe she would have told Roxas, but even that would have been hard for her. She sounded crazy enough when she told him about her visions. To tell him about some power she had would have been unimaginable to her.

But he had told her. Back when they were twelve, he had shown her in the woods what he could create. It had seemed so cool to her back then, or at least it had once the shock had worn off.

Their little secret. Roxas was a superhero. Just like the kids in X-Men.

To be honest, Olette remembered being slightly jealous of him. She had grown up all her life wishing that things that happened in fantasy worlds could happen in real life. Once she saw that they could, it was hard not to be upset that they hadn't happened to her.

These thoughts about Roxas and superpowers occupied her mind during the entire bus ride to school.

Her friend Alice had tried to get her attention, but after a few failed attempts, she had decided to leave her alone. Olette never even noticed.

When she stepped off the bus, she headed to where she usually hung out in the mornings, expecting to find it empty.

However, it was not. She gave a forced smile to the unexpected visitor.

His uniform sleeves were rolled up, giving Olette a view of the numerous scars that covered his arms.

The redhead smiled back, though it, too, seemed less than sincere. Not as if he wasn't happy to see her, but like he just wasn't happy in general.

"Axel, this is a surprise."

"Yeah, it's been a while."

Olette sat down across from him. "Something wrong?"

Axel reached down and picked a leaf up from the ground and started to pick it apart. He seemed nervous. "You know that something isn't right with Roxas."

It wasn't a question.

"And?" she replied.

"How do you know?" He looked up from the leaf and met her gaze.

"Because he's changed."

"No, that's not what I meant. You know what he can do."

"I know he can do something, though I'm not sure what."

"But your memories have come back? You know the truth about Naminé?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Roxas was taken away from you because of his ability. We all were. HEART is a lie. It's no happy place for orphans. It's what made us orphans in the first place. But that doesn't mean it's a bad place."

He fell silent for a moment, before sighing. Olette waited.

"Sure, it's not full of saints. But that place is my home. Some resent it. Others found a purpose and a belonging there. I found the people I love the most." His eyes looked past her.

Olette turned and saw Larxene laughing with her friends across the yard.

"But I hate what it did to those people."

She faced him again.

"The Organization is to blame for Roxas's 'change'." There was acid in his voice on the last word. "I really think that, without it, none of this would have ever happened."

"Axel, I don't know what you're talking about. The Organization? Why did Roxas change?"

"The Organization is HEART's true name. It consists of people like Naminé. Special people. Those of us called Nobodies."

"You have a superpower too?"

For the first time during the conversation, Axel genuinely smiled at her. But the smile was gone as quickly as it appeared. "Yeah. But that's not important now. What's important is Roxas. He needs to be stopped."

"Stopped?"

"It's hard to explain, but something has forced him to change. It's almost as if he's possessed. And the thing is try-"

"Well, why wasn't I invited to the party?"

Both Axel and Olette looked toward the source of the voice.

"Roxas," Axel said.

Roxas sat down next to the two of them. "So, who are we gossiping about today?" he asked in a falsely giddy voice. A smirk took the place of his grin.

"Hey, Babe," he told Olette, reaching out to touch her knee. She jerked away from him.

"That's not very friendly is it?" He laughed.

"Leave her alone," Axel growled.

"No problem. Wouldn't want to touch her anyways. I just came over to ask why you weren't in our spot. Demyx and I were worried."

"Fuck off," Axel retorted.

Roxas's eyes darkened. "Now, Axel, you don't want to piss me off. You should know all too well what I'm capable of."

Olette heard a small gasp and looked over at Axel in confusion. The red head was grimacing, clutching his chest.

"Stop it!" Olette cried, unsure of what Roxas was doing. All she understood was that it was causing Axel pain.

Roxas's eyes widened as they met Olette's. They seemed brighter than they had in a while. Axel stopped, gasping for air. But when Olette looked back at Roxas, the light in his eyes had vanished again.

"I'm going back to the mansion," Roxas said. "I don't give a shit about this place anymore." He stood up, his eyes never leaving Olette's face. There was a hatred in them that she had never seen before. Then without saying anything else, he left.

"Axel, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. The bastard just knows the right buttons to press."

"W-what did he do? What's going on?"

"Roxas is a very powerful Nobody. He can do things that none of us have ever imagined."

"Like what?"

"Right now, it's best that I don't tell you. Whatever is poisoning him is gunning for you be-"

"Me?"

"Yes, and I don't think you should know too much right now. However, I'm pretty sure you've figured out something that he can do. Back when he was… well, back when he _was _Roxas, he told me that he had shown you something when you two were younger. And I'm pretty sure all of your memories have been freed, right?"

"Yeah, but they're all still mixed up with the old ones. But that memory escaped a while ago. So, yeah, I've seen what he can do."

"Multiply that by a hundred, and you still wouldn't be able to comprehend what he can do now. Olette-" He reached out to grasp her hands. "Roxas, the true Roxas, is still in there somewhere. He just needs a little help getting out. In order to do that, he needs you. So, please, until I tell you otherwise, stay away from him."

"That shouldn't be too hard, considering he's not coming back to school."

"No, the elders will make him come back. They know it will just make him angrier, which is exactly what they need," Axel replied, letting go of her hands.

"If Roxas is as powerful as you say he is, I'm sure no one can stop him, especially not 'elders'."

Axel chuckled. "Don't be deceived by their title. One might not be able to stop him, but I'm pretty sure that if all eight of them teamed up, even Roxas wouldn't stand a chance." He stood up. "Listen, I got to go talk to Demyx. Please remember what I said. Stay away from him. I'll talk to you later."

With that, he left, and Olette was alone once more.

She sat there, thinking of her encounter with Roxas. When he had reached out to touch her, something had been wrong. What, though, she couldn't figure out.

It wasn't until an hour later, while sitting in class, that she remembered that the rings she had never seen him without were gone.

xXx

Olette was lying on her couch. The television was on, but it might as well have not been, because she wasn't even paying attention to whatever show was on. With the exception of the sound coming from the TV, the house was silent.

Both of her parents were working and, for once, Leon was actually at college. The house felt still.

It was too quiet for her liking, especially since the inside of her mind was absolute chaos.

_What happened to him? What could possibly cause someone to change so much?_

The image of his hands devoid of those rings was haunting her.

Those rings. The ones she had given him such a long time. The memory was free again, so she could remember every detail. After she had given them to him, he'd never once taken them off.

Until now.

She was scared. The boy she once loved, her best friend, was gone. He'd been replaced by something almost inhuman.

But what could she do? Axel had told her to stay away from Roxas. There was nothing she _could_ do.

Olette would just have to wait a little longer.

xXx

The next day, Olette sat on the top of the steps leading up to the school entrance. She watched as Hayner performed tricks on his skateboard while Pence snapped photos of him. Hayner had said he wanted practice and Pence had told her he need to finish a project, by which Olette knew they meant that they were both trying to catch girls' attention.

And Hayner most certainly had, though most of it consisted of girls yelling at him for being in their way. A couple, though, were sitting on the grass, watching him.

Hayner had noticed them too, because his tricks had gotten more elaborate. The grin on his face had also gotten wider.

In fact, he was too busy paying attention to the girls that the skateboard managed to slip under him. He let out a few swear words before falling on his butt.

His audience giggled, causing the tips of his ears to burn pink.

Olette snickered but broke off as she spotted someone coming towards the stairs.

His hands were in the pockets of the black and white checkered jacket he was wearing over his school uniform.

She watched him as he approached, glad that his eyes weren't directed at her, but instead at the ground. Studying his face, she noticed all the small details about it. The scar that trailed down from his left eye to his chin was barley even visible. In fact, if you didn't know to look for it, your eyes would go right past it. His blonde hair had fallen in front of his brilliant blue eyes, and for a second, she longed to go up to him and brush it back just like she used to do. But she knew that was impossible.

He was someone different now.

Roxas glanced up, their eyes meeting. She was surprised to see no hostility in them. They were void of any type of emotion. Flat and dull.

Lifeless.

He looked away, not even acknowledging her as he got closer. When he reached the stairs, he went straight past her without any reaction.

"Roxas!" She stood up and ran toward, him, stopping him just before he went inside.

He stopped and turned with a smirk on his face. Amusement flickered in his eyes. Yes?"

"I, um," she stammered, not sure what to say.

He rolled his eyes and turned to leave.

"Wait! Can we, um, talk in private for a sec?"

He stared at her, shock apparent on his face. Finally, after a beat of silence, his lips curled into a grin. "Thought Axel told you to stay away from me."

"I'm not afraid of you."

Roxas chuckled and leaned his face toward hers until they were mere inches apart. "Yes, you are. I can taste it on you."

Then, without even meaning to do so, Olette reached up and pushed his hair out of his eyes. Roxas flinched backwards, almost crashing into the doors behind him.

His eyes went cold, turning to ice.

"You're right. I'm terrified. Axel told me you're not Roxas and you haven't been for a while now. You're the Darkness, aren't you?"

The word slipped from her mouth. She had finally figured it out. The memory in the woods. All her dreams. Everything that had changed about Roxas.

The ability to produce Darkness. She couldn't believe it had taken so long for her to put a label on the orb Roxas had shown her five years ago.

"Aren't you a smart one, Olette?" He grinned. "Well, no, not really. If you were, then you would have listened to Axel. Your boyfriend is dead. He's not coming back."

That's when Olette did something that astounded even herself. She reached out and grabbed his tie, pulling him towards her.

And kissed him.

He let out a smell gasp the split-second before his lips met hers. Then, he was kissing her back.

It lasted less than twenty seconds. Roxas pulled away sharply, his eyes burning with hatred.

And then his face softened. "Olette," he whispered. He shook his head violently as if to clear his mind. By the time he stopped, his expression had hardened again.

"I should kill you for that," he growled, touching his lips as if she had burned him.

"Then why don't you?" Olette asked, surprised at her own bravery. "What are you waiting for?"

He opened his mouth but no reply came.

"That's what I thought," replied Olette in a smug manner.

She started to turn away, but he reached out and grabbed her by the wrist.

Olette cried out in pain and looked at her wrist. Little wisps of purple black smoke billowed out from his hand. It hurt like nothing she had ever experience before. She felt as if it would continue to spread through her like a poison, the pain never subsiding.

When she glanced up at Roxas, his eyes were the same color as the smoke. A quiet scream escaped her lips.

Roxas smiled. "Knew you were afraid. Now listen here, bitch; the only thing preventing me from killing you right now is that I want you to be here to watch your precious little Roxas become so powerful that no one can stop him. I want to hear you scream as the Darkness devours everything. And then-" He pulled her close to him so that there was merely a breath of space between them. "-I will kill you."

His eyes returned to blue and he turned around and entered the school.

Olette stood there, shaking, unable to look away from the spot where Roxas had been standing.

_Oh, god, _she thought. _Roxas. _

xXx

_Everything hurt. _

_The world no longer existed. No up. No down._

_All was dark._

_I could feel _it _coming closer, ready to strangle me. _

_Closer. Closer._

"_Tell me, Olette. Are you afraid of the dark?"_

xXx

It was raining again. Olette could hear the constant drip of water, lying on her bed. She was all curled up underneath the covers, glad that it was Saturday. She didn't need to leave her house. Not even her bed, if she didn't want to.

And she didn't. She had been restless the past week. The same dream had kept her tossing and turning night after night. She was exhausted, yet she didn't dare to close her eyes.

Didn't want to relive the same nightmare.

Darkness. Unable to know where she was. Or who she was with.

Because there was always another person there with her. They taunted her. Mocked her with a voice like broken glass.

And just before she woke up, they asked the same question.

"_Tell me, Olette. Are you afraid of the dark?"_

She wished she knew who the voice belonged to. It sounded neither male nor female, but like a combination of the two.

Just thinking about it caused Olette to shiver. Today, she was going to stay bundled up in bed and try to pretend that everything was all right.

xXx

Olette stood on the front steps of the HEART mansion, looking up at the enormous structure. She knew that it technically wasn't a foster home, but instead the headquarters of "The Organization". Still, she kept referring to it as HEART. It had been a while since she had last been there.

She tried not to think about how the last time she had been there, everything had been stable. Roxas had been himself and the two of them had been happy together.

She rang the doorbell a second time.

It took a few minutes, but finally someone opened the door. Demyx stood there, wearing nothing but pajama bottoms.

"Oh!" Olette exclaimed, blushing.

"Olette?" he asked, sounding sleepy. After a moment, his eyes widened, as if he had just realized he had answered the door.

"I'm so sorry. I'll come back later," Olette replied, starting to turn around.

"Wait! It's okay. Um, wanna come in?" Demyx asked.

"Is this a bad time? I was hoping to talk to Axel."

"It's fine." He stepped aside to allow her room to come in. She squeezed past him, careful not to touch his naked torso.

He grinned, apparently understanding what she had done. The two of them walked into the sitting room that Olette remembered form her last few visits all that time ago.

"Um, Demyx?" Olette asked, after a few minutes of awkward silence.

"Yeah?"

"Is Axel here?"

"Oh right! Um, let me go get him."

"No need, I'm right here," said Axel coming down the stairs. He walked over to them and whacked Demyx on the head.

"Ow!" What was that for?"

"Go put a shirt on. I know you're trying to show off, but Olette doesn't want to see that."

Demyx grinned and left.

Olette giggled. It really had been a rather nice view; it just made her feel uncomfortable.

"Let me guess," Axel stated, sitting on the arm of a couch. "You didn't listen to what I said, did you?" The corners of his mouth twitched upwards.

"Yeah, I talked to him. Um, is he…?"

"Yeah he's downstairs. I kinda wish you hadn't come here, Olette. It's dangerous."

"I know it was stupid, but I need to talk to you."

Axel sighed. "Okay, let's go to my room. I'll go get the moron and Naminé."

He led her upstairs and into a small bedroom. Demyx was already waiting by the door. His normal faux hawk was dripping wet. It surprised Olette, because she hadn't even heard a shower running, nor did she think he would have had enough time. She was more at ease, however, when she saw that he had put on a sweatshirt.

"Naminé will be here soon," Demyx said. "Figured you'd want her in on this."

"I'm sorry, guys. I should have known not to come this early on a weekend," Olette apologized.

"It's eleven," Axel replied. "Don't worry about it. We've all been up for a while."

"But, Demyx?"

"Oh, well, yeah. He just woke up. Even though he was supposed to be up at seven."

"Hey, no adult supervision this weekend. I wanted to get more than two hours of sleep," Demyx responded.

"Wait, the 'elders,' or whatever, aren't here?" Olette asked.

"Yeah, they're, um, recruiting. Or, at least, trying to find people to recruit. Here, lets' go inside. Naminé will come soon." Axel led them into his room.

"Sorry 'bout the mess."

"Don't apologize. I'm the one imposing." She sat on his unmade bed.

"So, Olette, what's all this about?" Axel didn't sit, but instead chose to lean against the wall.

"Roxas's power is Darkness right?"

Axel nodded.

"How does she know…?" Demyx started to ask.

"I told her. She knows all about the Organization. And our powers."

"Man, when you say it like that, we sound like the X-Men," Demyx laughed.

Axel rolled his eyes, but Olette could detect his faint smile.

"When I was younger, Roxas showed me what he could do, even though at the time he had no idea what it was. But I've figured it out."

"How?" Axel asked, quietly. "I'm just curious."

"Ever since the start of this whole ordeal, even before I re-met Roxas, I've been having these dreams. Terrible things happen in them." She shivered. "Lately, the dreams have been worse. But there's always been some sort of constant. Darkness. It found its way somehow into almost every dream. I think, deep down, I've always known, but it scared me. Back when I was thirteen, I thought Roxas's power was sort of neat. Yet, I was still afraid. Not if _him_, but of _it_. I even had a few nightmares. The orb he created would expand, and it would devour everything. But I knew he would never let that happen, so I tried to forget all about the dreams."

"Olette, the Darkness inside of Roxas has taken over him. It's slowly killing the Light. And it's getting stronger. If it isn't stopped, your dream will become a reality. He can do so much more than create physical darkness. He can control the Darkness inside a person. And the Darkness is trying to fulfill a prophecy."

Olette shivered again. "I guess that explains some things. How do we get the Light back?"

Axel and Demyx exchanged looks. Finally, after a few moment of silence, Axel answered, "You."

"Me?"

"Naminé says you're the only one who can release the Light."

"Hey, um, speaking of Naminé, where is she?" Demyx asked.

A shrill shriek pierced the silence that followed.

"Fuck!" Axel yelled. "Stay here, Olette! Come on, Demyx!"

The two of them ran out of the room.

A moment of silence passed. Olette could hear the blood pounding in her ears as she sat there waiting for something to happen.

"Well, that went exactly as I planned," said a voice.

Olette screamed.

Two figures appeared suddenly in the back of the room.

"Thank you, Zexion," Roxas said, smiling.

The teenage boy with the bluish hair whom Olette barely remembered lived there nodded.

Something appeared to be wrong with him. He seemed dazed, almost as if he didn't know where he was. His face was expressionless.

With horror, Olette realized that the irises of his eyes were black.

"My friend Zexion here can create illusions. Make you see things or even hear things that aren't real. Or make real things appear like they aren't there. Now, when I heard you come in, I 'recruited' him to help me. Then, when I realized you were going to Axel's room, I made sure to get there first by using one of the many secret passages in the mansion."

"Where's Naminé?" Olette demanded.

"Oh, she's somewhere in the mansion, a little, um, "tied up". Axel and Demyx will be a little preoccupied thanks to Zexy here." He put his hand on Zexion's shoulder; he didn't even seem to register it was there. "Zexion is so great. His Darkness is so easily manipulated. And since I've gotten so good at controlling it, he's made a more than excellent puppet. It's too bad Larxene is somewhere else. I would love to have her attack Axel. Oh, well, after you, I'll turn the two idiots downstairs against one another."

"Where are the elders? They'll stop you. They were able to make you come back to school."

"Hmm, it seems to me that you've forgotten that Axel told you that they aren't here this weekend. And, fun fact, here: they didn't force me to go back. We made a deal. I'd go back and keep up appearances if they made themselves scarce one weekend. I was gonna try to lure you here somehow, but luckily for me, you came on your own!"

"Roxas, please. I know you're in there. Please, stop! You can't let the Darkness win!" Olette pleaded, tears starting to stream down her face.

"Idiot. He's so deep not even your screams can reach him. Now," he turned to Zexion, "Zexy, go downstairs and have some fun with the asshole who still owns the heart of the girl you love."

Zexion nodded and left.

"I thought you said you weren't going to kill me until the prophecy or whatever was fulfilled?"

"Ah, so you've found out about that?" He grinned. "I'm not going to kill you, Olette. I told you I would get revenge for that stunt you pulled. Trust me, once I'm through with you, you're going to wish you were dead."

Black rope like things shot out from his hands. They grabbed Olette and wrapped around her. The ropes were so incredibly freezing cold that they seem to burn her skin. Everything hurt. She felt like her heart was about to shatter. Her vision blurred and she could feel herself drifting toward unconsciousness.

And then, there was warmth.

Mwwwwhaha! Cliff hanger!

So please review! The next chapter has already been written and should be up in a few days.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!


	27. Catch 22:R

So uber short chapter. The shortest I've ever written.

Thanks for the reviews! I love getting them.

Enjoy!

_It's almost time._

xXx

_**What happened? How did I fail? **_

_**The Light was almost gone. **_

_**With a few exceptions, when I was around Olette, it hadn't made an appearance in a while. **_

_**Yet, somehow, it had stopped me.**_

"_That's right. I did__**," said a voice. **_

_**Impossible! How? **_

_**I whipped around and breathed a sigh of relief.**_

_**He was still in his prison. Only the chains no longer covered his face.**_

_**Fuck. That's probably not good.**_

_**He grinned at me, his blue eyes appearing even brighter when he did so.**_

"_**You're supposed to be gone," I spat. "You're supposed to be weaker."**_

_**He laughed without humor. **__"Don't worry, I am."_

_**It was only then that I noticed he was right. With each word he spoke he seemed to cringe, almost as if the mere effort of speaking was excruciating. **_

"_**What happened? One minute, I was torturing Olette-" I grinned at the words and was glad to see the anger in the Light's eyes, "-and now I'm here."**_

"_Your own pride and greed is to blame for that. You wanted my friends to suffer, made them watch as you forced me to do horrible things. But you kept them alive. And as long as they are, I will never be completely gone. You-" __**He broke off, gasping in pain. **_

_**I laughed. "Losing strength are we?"**_

_**The Light grit his teeth. He pulled on the chains, trying to break free **_

"_You bastard! I will beat you."_

"_**Now, now. That's no way for the Light to behave."**_

_**The Other Roxas stopped struggling. He seemed to deflate.**_

"_I can't believe I was so stupid," __**he said softly. I could hear the sob in his voice. **__"Olette, what must you think of me?"_

"_**Shut up," I told him, annoyed. "Man, did I really sound this whiney before?"**_

_**He glared at me. **__"I should have never let you win." __**Another gasp of pain escaped from him.**_

_**I laughed. "But you did, so shut the fuck up, because there's nothing you can do about it."**_

"_If you hurt Olette I will break free."_

"_**You know what I find interesting? You say that your friends are your Light. Yet only if I hurt Olette will you find the strength to be free. I guess your other friends don't matter very much."**_

_**The Light hung his head, looking shameful. **_

"_I don't know why. All those times you hurt Axel and Demyx, I tried everything, but only managed to slip out for a second. But with Olette, I feel like my control lasts longer. She means so much to me."_

_**I smirked. "But your friends don't?"**_

"_That's not true," __**he whispered**__. "I love Demyx and Axel, but it's not the same as the love I feel for her. Maybe it's because she's been in my heart longer. Her Light there is stronger."_

"_**Dude, that is the dumbest shit you've ever spouted." **_

"_I wouldn't expect you to understand. After all you don't know what love is. All you know is hate and pride."_

"_**Hey, buddy, I'm a product of you, remember? We are both the same aspects of the same person. You just don't want to admit that, deep down, you are the same as me, because if you did, then you wouldn't be able to look at yourself in the mirror. The only reason I'm the way I am is 'cause the Darkness just amped up all of your dark feelings. So stop fooling yourself. The Old Roxas was not all Light. He was just too afraid of the Dark to embrace it."**_

"_The Old Roxas wasn't a coward. He knew the Darkness was evil. He didn't try to hide anything because he truly wished to be a good person. Yes, he had Darkness, but he knew it was wrong to use it."_

"_**He knew it was wrong? He used the Darkness all the time. If Roxas was all pure like you say he was, then he would have fought harder. He wouldn't have given in so easily. Stop blaming the Darkness. The Light chose its own path. It's not my fault Roxas was weak."**_

"_Roxas," __**the Light said, his eyes pleading, "**__Let the Light and the Dark join back together. Let the balance be restored. The prophecy is foolish. Even if you succeed, what will be accomplished? The Nobodies revealed and in control? Who cares? We've hidden our abilities for centuries. Why must we prove to the world how powerful we are? Join together with the Light. Allow the Old Roxas, the _True _Roxas to have control again. Splitting him up into two only leads to a fragmented person. Don't you wish to be complete once more?"_

"_**I am complete," I growled. "The Old Roxas is nothing. And he will remain nothing. Our joining only takes us back to the beginning. The Light fighting with the Dark, leaving Roxas in confusion and pain. He – **_**I - **_**am better off this way. I have no wish to become the man I once was ever again. I love the Darkness. The strength. The freedom to do as I choose. Nothing will make me give that up."**_

"_What about Roxas's friends? Olette? Don't you miss the feeling of being with people you care about?"_

"_**I know nothing of that. I am Darkness. Those people are your friends, not mine."**_

_**He shook his head. **__"I will never understand why you were given Darkness as a power, when the Light so clearly was stronger. Roxas cared about people. The Light in him burned so bright, yet the he could only control the Dark."_

"_**Once again, you are wrong. There has always been more Darkness than Light. The idiot was just unaware of how much Darkness existed inside of him. Once he found out who was dominant, he gave in."**_

"_No! You tricked him. Whispered lies in his head, telling him you'd get rid of the pain."_

"_**So, you're saying he was basically a naive fool. If he was as wonderful and as full of Light as you say he was, then he should have known that without guilt, regret, and heartache, one cannot feel compassion, empathy or love. Roxas knew what he was getting himself into! He knew the consequences, but **_**chose **_**to ignore them. The Light was weak in him. If it had been strong he would have had the strength to push through the pain because the things that came with it were worth so much more. Worth too much to give up."**_

_**I paused and took a deep breath, my throat sore from all the yelling. **_

"_**We were always heading in this direction, my friend. It was Roxas's destiny. You can lie all you want and tell yourself that Roxas was a good person. But, deep down, you know it isn't true. **_**I **_**make up all that is Roxas now. I am him. And I choose to stay in the dark. We aren't going to be one ever again. You won't be around much longer to bitch in my ear anyways."**_

_**There was silence for a few minutes and I assumed he was too tired to argue any longer. **_

_**I smirked to myself and turned my back to him.**_

_**All of a sudden, he started to laugh. Not a pathetic chuckle or a strained snicker, but a deep guffaw. Full of happiness and Light.**_

_**It began to crescendo to a point where I could almost feel it. It burned inside of me and I clutched at my heart, wincing in pain.**_

_**My legs collapsed beneath me and I fell to my knees.**_

_**I tried to yell, but no words came out.**_

"_You moron,__**" he said in a light tone, after he had stopped laughing. **__"I won't ever be gone. The only way to do that is to kill Olette and since I seem to make an appearance every time you try to hurt her, you know it's impossible for you to do so. You're stuck in a Catch 22, my _friend_," __**he said, adding a sarcastic twist to his last word.**__ "The only way to get rid of me actually just ends up making me stronger. Enjoy your control while it lasts, because it is only a matter of time before I take the reins once more. And when I do, it will be for good this time."_

xXx

So hoped you liked it.

Please review!


	28. Familiar Feeling:O

Chapter! Sorry it took sooooooooo long.

You guys are probably gonna hate me after you read this.

xXx

_It was warm here._

_Quiet._

_Safe._

_As I lay on the ground I stared up at the whiteness above. It went on forever._

_A pure white sky._

_There was nothing else. _

_Only me and the white vastness above. _

_Something inside me throbbed. I shifted uncomfortably. . The pain faded._

_I could stay here forever. It was a happy place. _

_Warm and safe._

_After a few minutes I experienced the same ache from inside. It was stronger this time. Took longer to fade as well. _

_I ignored it and continued to stare up at the sky._

_This was a place where nothing happened. I was fine with that, though not sure why. I liked the nothingness._

_A strange thought that I was running from something popped into my head._

_That's funny. There was nothing to run from. I was safe here. Had always been safe here for as long as I could remember. This was all there was._

_Another pang of pain. This time it lasted long enough that I located where it was coming from._

_My heart._

_The throbbing took much longer to fade._

_Something wet slipped from my eye. I reached up to touch my face._

"_Tears," I whispered. Though I did not understand how I knew the word, the minute I spoke it I understood that the wetness on my cheeks were tears._

_But how could I be-? _

_The thought slipped away from me like trickling water and I stared up at the whiteness, unable to remember what I had been thinking moments ago. Unable to remember what I had been doing._

_I'm being silly again. I was just looking up. Like I've always been doing._

_Hours passed. _

_I stared at the white. _

_Happy._

_Warm._

"_What are you doing?" a gentle voice whispered._

"_What I've always been doing," _

"_And what is that?"_

"_Staring at the beautiful white." But the minute I answered, I felt wrong. I had done something else here. Done more than stare._

_But what?_

"_Why?" asked the voice. _

_I liked the voice. It was warm and soft. I could feel it inside me, spreading a pleasant sensation through out my body. _

"_Because that's what I've always done," I answered._

_The voice chuckled._

"_Olette," it said, laughter in it._

_Olette? _

_My name. That's what the voice had said. How had I forgotten my name?_

_Pain shot through me, bringing back memories that it had not been the first time._

_But how? This place, so warm so full of Light. There had never been any pain before. _

_Why now?_

_Something wet trickled down my cheek._

_Tears. _

_Just like that one time before. The time I had forgotten. But that had been ages ago._

_Why was it happening again?_

_I felt something warm slip into my hand. Someone else's hand._

_But whose? It had only been me before. Well, and the voice, but surely it hadn't belong to anyone. Right?_

_Never before had there been another._

_Just me and the white. _

_I turned my head, my eyes leaving the white sky._

_A boy lay next to me. _

_I gasped. _

_He was staring at me with eyes that were so bright, so different from the white sky._

_Blue. That's right, that was the word for the color._

_His eyes were so deep. So full of everything.._

_He smiled at me, warmth radiating from him._

_It spread through me. The pain numbed a bit._

"_Who are you?" I asked._

_The second the words left me lips I knew. _

_Images. Memories. Nightmares._

_They all came flooding back at once._

_My head felt like it was going to explode._

_Too much. Make it stop!_

_And then came the Whiteness. _

_It masked over the images. _

_Veiled the memories. _

_Suffocated the nightmares. _

_Numbed the pain._

_The Whiteness filled in all the fractures in my mind. Warmed my body._

"_Roxas?" My voice came out in no more than a whisper. _

_He squeezed my hand. _

"_Not Roxas. Just his Light."_

"_I-I" I stuttered. The Whiteness was like fog in my brain, I had no clue what he was talking about. In the distance of the haze I could almost see a figure, but when I tried to grasp it, tried to make sense of it in my mind, I couldn't._

"_Maybe this will help," he said. Then, leaning his head closer to me, his lips brushed against mine._

_Such a soft touch. So gentle._

_The mist in my mind began to lift. A man with black eyes._

"_No!" I yelled, jerking away from the boy next to me. The Whiteness moved in again, trying to hide the image that caused so much distress._

_The Light's grip on me tightened to a point where it was painful._

"_No, Olette! You need to remember. Focus."_

_No. I wanted the Whiteness to seep back in. To cover the pain and the fear._

"_No! Olette. Sometimes you need the Darkness. I understand now. In the battle between Light and Dark, there is no winner. The two must be balanced."_

_His words hung there._

_I pulled my hand from his grasp and sat up._

_No longer was I in my White World. _

_Trees surrounded us. The sky was blue. The ground now green. We were in the clearing._

_The Light sat up as well. _

_Tears were now streaming down my face. The Whiteness in my head was all gone, the images, everything as clear and vivid as the world around us. _

"_Too much Light is a bad thing," he stated. He reached out and I took my hand in his. "Too much Darkness is even worse. Olette, I'm trapped. In order to have the real Roxas back I must join together with the Darkness. He _must_ gain back control. Everything depends on it. The Darkness wishes to rule. It wants to make people feel nothing but hate and fear. Bring up their Darkness and let it spread through the world like a poison, so that it can watch as humans destroy themselves and Nobodies take control. But that won't be enough for it. Darkness must constantly be fed. It will warp the Nobodies; cause them to turn on one another. It will destroy everything, merely because it thinks doing so is fun."_

"_How can I defeat him? I have no power."_

"_Your Light burns bright. So bright, that it will illuminate the Darkness. Olette," he leaned in and kissed my forehead gently. "Roxas truly loves you. You've kept me burning for so long, even though I've been in that horrible prison. He will come back, but it is up to you to bring out his Light."_

"_Why? Why me?"_

_He smiled. "Isn't it obvious? You are his Light. It is you that has fueled me all these years. His love for you. The thought of you does more than light up his face. It lights up his heart. If not for you the Darkness would have taken hold long before. Roxas is a good person, his Light was strong on its own. But you just made it so much stronger. Roxas was cursed with an ability that eats away at its owner, no matter how good that person is. But he held on for as long as he did, because of the power you gave me. But the Darkness inside of him grew too, just enough for him to become frightened of it. It picked at his fear. His loss of his parents. The hatred he feels toward some. And once it had grown just big enough to be just the tiniest bit more powerful than me, it began to poison him. Roxas tried so hard to fight it, but his fear and anger toward it just fed it even more. And when Roxas thought he had lost you, he gave up fighting. His heart shattered, knowing he had hurt you. The Darkness seeped through the cracks and took control. And I – his Light – was ripped from him, buried where he could no longer feel me. I did everything I could – thought about you a lot, thought about my friends, managed even to burn bright enough to slip through the Darkness, gain a second of control. I tried to let Axel know I was still here, and that his friend was not lost forever. But the Darkness was too powerful. And it is getting more powerful. It must be stopped."_

"_I'm afraid of it," I said, starting to shiver. _

_He smiled sadly at me. "I know you are, Olette. But you need to be brave. Please."_

_I nodded. _

"_I don't have much time. When that monster tried to hurt you I-" he broke off, his eyes blazing, "- I was so angry." His hands were shaking now. "With all my strength I broke free to stop him, but it was already too late. I was not strong enough to take control, just to stop him. But Olette," he said, taking me by the hand, "our hearts connected. That's how I was able to find you here. I was guided to your Light. But I'm starting to fade. Saving you took up all my power, I'm almost nothing now. There's only enough of me left to prevent him from hurting you again with his own hands. He won't be able to directly hurt you, but he will still try to destroy you in order to rid himself of me forever. Once I disappear there will be no hope of your Roxas to be restored. The Darkness will obliterate everything. You _must_ find a way to defeat him and bring back the balance of Dark and Light."_

"_But even if I find a way, how do I know the Darkness just won't take control again? What's to prevent it from doing all this all over again?"_

"_Roxas is cursed to always have me and his Darkness fighting for control, but with you I will win every time. I can keep the two of us balanced."_

"_Why do you need to be balanced, can't you just take over the Dark?"_

_He shook his head. "No if we are balanced, Roxas will still be who he once was. There is no need for me to be more powerful, equal is enough. Olette, too much Light is blinding. And without the Darkness the Light has nothing to illuminate."_

"_Roxas," I reached out to touch his face, but my fingers touched nothing._

_It was as if he wasn't even there._

"_Our time is up Olette. I'll be hanging on, waiting for you."_

_He gave me one last smile tinged with melancholy before fading completely._

_A terrible, agonizing feeling came from within. The pain from before._

_Only now I knew the word for it._

_Emptiness. _

xXx

Olette opened her eyes, confused as to where she was.

She took in her surroundings and realized she was still in Axel's room.

A gasp escaped her lips and she jumped up, ready to run.

But she was alone.

No Roxas.

xXx

Axel sat on his desk, an ice pack pressed to his temple.

Demyx was tending to Naminé, who was now lying on the bed, unconscious.

Zexion was standing in the doorway. Though he was no longer under Roxas's control, his eyes were still a little cloudy. He stared at the occupants in the room with disbelief, as if he was seeing them in this state for the first time.

Olette silently stood there next to Axel. She felt as if she would to speak, she would start screaming and be unable to stop.

Axel, observant as always, reached out and touched her arm tenderly. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head, careful to not make any noise.

"Come on." He put his arm around her shoulder and steered her toward the door. Zexion stepped out of their way, his eyes never leaving Naminé on the bed.

Axel led her down the hallway to the very end. They went inside a room. It was practically empty. Only a lonely bed was in the corner.

The two sat down on it.

Olette stared at the floor, avoiding Axel's knowing eyes.

"Hey," he whispered softly. "Everything will be okay. Naminé will wake up soon. And we'll find him." He paused briefly before saying "him" as if he were to say the name, but thought better of it. "It will all be okay. I promise."

He reached out and gently lifted her chin so that their eyes meet.

Before Olette realized what she was doing, she moved in and brushed her lips against his.

It only took a second for Axel to react. He pushed her away gently. A melancholic smile was on his face.

Olette stood up abruptly, feeling as if her body was on fire. She looked away from Axel's eyes, so full of pity.

Why had she done that? The humiliation was like acid, burning through her. She had to get out of there. Had to get away and hide.

"Olette." Axel reached out and grabbed her hand. They were surprisingly warm. "It's okay. Sit back down."

She did so, but refused to look at him. "I'm sorry," she whispered so quietly she was almost certain he hadn't heard her.

"Olette, look at me."

Again, she did what he said. His eyes weren't bright as they normally were, but instead soft and quiet.

"There's no need to be embarrassed. You're upset. You're not thinking straight."

"I still can't believe…"

She trailed off as a memory appeared in her mind.

The same gesture Axel had just done. Soft, gentle finger on her chin, bring her closer to him, until their lips touched.

Only the boy had been Roxas.

Their first kiss – or at least the first one they had together when she had arrived in Twilight Town- had been that way.

The touch had felt familiar.

The memory hurt. Everything had seemed so incredible back then. So simple. Yet absolutely wonderful.

Roxas had just been a normal guy then. There was no Darkness ripping them apart.

She had yet to find out the dark truth about everything. How her life had been an utter lie.

_Sometimes, ignorance is bliss, _she thought, _sometimes knowledge is a bad thing._

_No, Olette, you needed to know this. Needed to know about the Darkness, _said a little voice in the back of her mind. _You can't hide forever. You must face reality. Must face the Darkness._

The little voice of reason was echoing something someone had said. Olette tried to remember, but the memory refused to come to her.

"Olette?" Axel asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Axel. It's just you reminded me of him. Before all this happened."

He nodded. "I figured."

"Why did everything have to get all fucked up?"

Axel didn't answer.

xXx

A few hours later Naminé had woken up. She seemed smaller than usual. Her blue eyes were flat. She sat on the bed hugging herself, as if to keep everything from falling apart.

"What's the plan?" Demyx asked.

"Wish I knew," Axel replied.

"Can we get ahold of the elders?"

"They're in on this, Demyx. This is Xemnas's great plan," Naminé answered, her voice fragile.

"But Xigbar and Luxord?" His tone was hopeful.

"We can't depend on them. So far they've done nothing but sit back and watch all that has happened to Roxas. No, we're on our own here. Naminé, where did Olette and Zexion go?"

"They went downstairs to make us all lunch. Olette said she needed to do something to get her mind of things."

"Is it safe to leave her with Zexion?" Demyx asked.

Naminé nodded. "Roxas is gone. He can't manipulate him now."

Axel sighed. "Okay. Finding Roxas is our first priority."

"You sure about that?" Demyx asked. "What are we gonna do once we find him?"

"I don't know, but I'm not going to sit around and let him come get us again. He's going to try to hurt Olette. Naminé, Olette, and Zexion are going to stay here. Demyx and I will go look for him."

"Where are you going to look?" Naminé asked.

"I have no fucking clue."

"Great plan, everybody!" Demyx joked. "Seriously though, what are we doing to do? If we do end up finding him, what then? He'll just kick our asses again."

"Naminé, is there anything you can think of that would allow the Light to break free?"

"Only Olette," she answered.

"Yeah, that's what I was afraid of." Axel pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes scrunched up. "Can you trap him in his memories again?"

"I could try. That was the first time I ever did something like though, and it was only because it was a life or death situation."

"Okay, so that's a possibility. But if you can't, Naminé, how can Olette stop him? What does she need to do to free the Light?"

"A few things."

"Like what?"

Naminé looked away from Axel, her eyes sorrowful. "You're not going to like the answer, Axel."

xXx

Olette walked the hallways of the Organization Mansion. Zexion was in the kitchen, finishing up making the grilled cheese sandwiches. She had excused herself to use the bathroom, but instead found herself wanting to go somewhere else.

A burning desire was coursing through her veins. There was one room here that was calling out to her. She had to see it. But she didn't know which one it was, so here she was wandering aimlessly, peeking in doors.

She had to be quiet though. Demyx, Naminé, and Axel were all in Axel's room discussing something and she didn't want one of them to catch her.

So far though, she had been unable to find what she was looking for. As she got closer to Axel's room she could hear more clearly the hushed voices coming from within.

Suddenly, Axel's booming voice shouted from within. "No way in hell! We are not going to let that happen. Are you crazy? Damn it!" The sound of a fist being slammed follwed. Olette used the opportunity to sneak past the room. She heard Naminé reply with something, but it was so quiet Olette couldn't discern the words.

There was only one room left for Olette to look in. She reached out for the door knob, anticipation tingling through her body. This is what she had been looking for. It just had to be.

Olette turned the knob and entered the room, closing the door behind her. She was left in pitch blackness. She frantically fumbled for the light switch and flicked it on.

Roxas's room.

It was a slightly untidy place. Books were scattered everywhere, their dog-eared pages opened. Clothes littered the floor. Pictures of him, Demyx, and Axel were on the dresser

Though it was nothing special, Olette felt her breath leave her. She could feel Roxas everywhere. Could see him sitting on the bed reading or listening to music. The room even smelled like him.

Out of the whole mansion, this was the only place that felt as if it could be someone's home. Not even Axel's room felt that way.

This room was Roxas's sanctuary.

Olette walked over to the bed and laid down on it, curling up. She hugged the pillow and breathed in. Tears were starting to roll down her cheeks.

She missed Roxas. He was her best friend, the one person she loved more than anything. He had been gone for too long. She missed him so much that her body ached from it.

Olette laid there for a few more minutes, letting her tears wet the pillow and her face. Too soon, she realized that Zexion most likely had noticed she had been gone for too long and unwillingly sat up.

Just as she was about to leave, she saw, out of the corner of her eye, something turquoise glitter. Walking over to it, she recognized the necklace she had stupidly given back to Roxas.

With shaking hands she picked it up.

_Except exactly in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by immense amount of empty space, was a lonely tree._

_Hundreds of sparkling turquoise teardrop charms suspending from every branch by silver chains. The sun light shone through the translucent charms, basking the clearing in a soft, turquoise glow._

The memory of the long had ago dream came to her mind, sharp and clear. It was her favorite, one of the few that ended happy.

She closed her fingers around the charm and brought it to her heart.

_Roxas._

With a sad smile on her face she slipped the necklace over her head. The turquoise charm lay just below her collar bone. Right where it was supposed to be. Olette promised herself that no matter what happened she would never again take the necklace off. It belonged to her and would remain there.

"Olette?" Someone called her name.

She jumped at the sound. The door behind her creaked opened.

"There you are," Demyx said, then turned to shout into the hallway, "Found her!"

"Sorry."

"Nah, it's okay. We were just worried. We're all going to be on edge until this thing gets finished. Come on, food is a'waiting."

The two walked down the hall in silence.

Axel looked up from his plate as the two came into the kitchen. His eyes lingered on Olette's necklace for a few seconds, but he didn't say anything.

"Saved you a sandwich," Naminé said

"Thanks." She took the sandwich but did not eat it.

Axel gave her a significant look, but again did not comment.

"You gonna eat that?" Demyx asked, his sandwich already engulfed.

Axel rolled his eyes.

After a long stretch of silence, Axel finally spoke. "Demyx and I are going to try and find Roxas. If we have to tear this town apart looking for him, we will. Now-"

"He'll be in the clearing," Olette interrupted, surprising everyone including herself.

"The clearing?" Axel asked.

"When we were younger we spent every possible moment there," Olette replied, her voice soft and quiet. "It was our place."

Axel frowned. "But Olette, Roxas isn't himself anymore. I don't think he'll go a place so connected to his Light. He-"

"He'll be there. I know it. His Light is fading, but it's still there. It will drive him to go there. I know it."

"How? I'm sorry, Olette, but I don't think the Light is strong enough to do that. The Light is almost gone," Naminé said.

"No," Olette whispered.

She was right. Something inside her told her so. He would be there.

_I'll be hanging on, waiting for you._

The word's from a dream spoke softly in her mind.

_No, not a dream,_ Olette thought, the memory of what happened after Roxas attacked her becoming clearer. _That was real. _

Or at least in some way. Roxas's Light had found its way into her heart, guided by her own light.

"Roxas will be in the clearing. I'm going there. You can chose if you want to come or not."

"No way, Olette!" Demyx yelled, jumping up from his chair. "He'll kill you!"

Olette looked over at Axel, surprised that he had not been the first to react. But Axel wasn't even looking in her direction. Instead he was staring at Naminé, the two exchanging silent words.

"Axel," Naminé said finally," It's the only way."

He nodded.

"What?" Demyx exclaimed. "Twenty minutes ago you said 'no way in hell'!"

"Naminé is right. It's the only way. I don't like it, but it's all we got." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Olette, I will go with you to the clearing."

"So will I," Naminé stated bravely.

"You guys are nuts if you think I'm not coming," Demyx said.

The four of them collectively looked over at Zexion.

"I'll pass," he said.

"Of course you will," Demyx sighed. "Big surprise there." He rolled his eyes.

Zexion scowled before getting up and leaving.

"Axel, can you get a hold of Larxene?" Demyx asked. "She's a pretty decent fighter and we'll going to need all the help we can get."

"She's at practice so her phone will be off."

"Give me your keys, I'll go get her."

Axel hesitated.

"Hey, I know you don't want her to get hurt, but we need the help, Axel."

"Yeah, I know," Axel said quietly. He gave Demyx the car keys.

"I'll be back soon."

No one said a word. The only noise in the silence was the sound of the Demyx closing the door behind him.

xXx

Twenty minutes later Axel's cell phone rang.

"It's Demyx," he said, looking at it.

Naminé's head whipped up from the sketchbook she had been drawing in. "Put it on speaker." Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed.

"Demyx, do you have her?" Axel asked.

"Axel, she wasn't there," Demyx's panicked voice came from the tiny cell. "Her coach told me that she had left with some blonde boy about thirty minutes ago."

"What?" Axel yelled.

"He said that the boy told him there was some family emergency and Larxene was needed at home."

"And she just left with him? Is she nuts?"

"Axel," Naminé said softly. "Roxas could have controlled her like he did with Zexion."

"No," Demyx replied from the phone, "her coach didn't say she acted weird or anything. I'm thinking Roxas told her that you were hurt because her coach said Larxene looked upset when she left and we all know she doesn't give a shit about the rest of us.

"Son of a bitch." Axel muttered. "Demyx, get your ass over here now. We're leaving as soon as you get back."

"Be there in a minute," Demyx responded before hanging up.

Axel slammed his cell phone on the table.

Olette opened her mouth to say something encouraging, but no words came. There was nothing anyone could say to make the situation better.

"Olette," Naminé said, breaking the silence. "I have something to show you."

Olette nodded, somewhat surprised, and stood up. She looked over at Axel who had his face buried in his hands. As she followed Naminé out of the kitchen she squeezed his shoulder, trying to comfort him. He didn't look up.

Naminé led her up the stairs and down the hallway in the opposite direction of the guy's rooms.

"Where are we going?" Olette inquired.

Naminé didn't respond but instead opened the door at the very end of the hall.

Inside the room was a giant desk in the center. Bookshelves lined the walls and piles of papers were stacked in neat piles everywhere.

Olette thought Naminé was going to show her one of the books because there was really nothing else to look at in the room. So she wasn't surprised when Naminé walked across the room to the bookshelf behind the desk.

However when Naminé pulled out a book and the bookshelf swung forward, revealing a room, Olette's mouth dropped open.

"What?" Naminé asked, with genuine confusion.

"I just thought that stuff happened in movies."

Naminé smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

She gestured toward the secret room through the doorway.

Olette stepped inside the room with wide eyes. Shelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling. Her eyes were drawn to the shelf in front of her, which contained thirteen objects, from swords and shields, to an oversized book and a musical instrument, to two giant keys.

On the other shelves were black boxes, neatly lined up. There was something very unsettling about them, and Olette unconsciously took a step back. They felt wrong. Almost as if they were a mirage; something she believed she was seeing, but didn't actually exist.

"What is all this?"

Naminé walked over to the shelf with the various objects and picked up one of the giant keys. Its silver handle gleamed almost as if it was beguiling someone to hold it. Olette had to resist reaching out and taking from Naminé.

Naminé smiled as if she knew what Olette was feeling. "Here, take it." She handed the key over to Olette.

A strangely familiar warmth spread through her as she cradled the key. It began at her hands and made its way throughout her whole body. Every worry, every fear evaporated as the warmth spread. Olette felt as if she could dance, sing, do anything she wanted.

But then the warmth faded.

She sucked in a sharp breath as everything came flooding back. But she found herself not hurting as she would expected. The worry and fear were still there, but with it was a feeling of hope, a ghost of the extreme warm feeling she had felt mere seconds before.

"What is this thing?" she asked softly, still in awe of the euphoric feeling the key had given her.

"It's a Keyblade and its name is Oathkeeper. The other Keyblade is Oblivion. They're Roxas's weapons, although he can no longer use the one you're holding. The Nobodies that came before us created them and only those who share the inventor's ability can truly wield them. Other Nobodies can only hold them." Naminé smiled and took Oathkeeper from Olette, placing it back on the shelf. "Oathkeeper is pure Light. That Light inside Roxas allowed him to use it."

"That's what I felt just now. His Light. When I'm around him I feel as if nothing bad exists and that the only thing that matters is that the two of us are together."

Naminé nodded. "You and Roxas have a very unique relationship. I don't know how or why, but his Light is fueled by you. Your connection with him is nothing I've ever heard of. These Keyblades are connected to his heart which is connected to yours. I think that was his Light trying to reach you."

Olette hugged herself, wishing it was Roxas's arms comforting her, instead of her own.

"Why are you showing me this? And why are all these things here?"

"Nobodies have a connection to their weapon. When they need it they will it to come to them and it appears. Once it's in their possessions the wielder can use all the power that comes with it."

"But when it's not being used it comes here." Olette finished for her.

"Well, no. They come here because this is where they placed, waiting to be summoned. When the weapons are dismissed they go back to wherever they came from. Xemnas has spent years collecting these and keeping them safe. Growing up we all helped the Elders with missions. When they're not collecting information they go out to find the weapons and bring them here."

Olette frowned. "Why does Xemnas need the weapons you guys can't use? And why can't the owner just summon them back once their stolen?"

The corners of Namine's mouth twitched upward. "That's what the boxes are for. Xemnas controls Nothingness. The boxes are made up of Nothingness, which is its own special dimension that has no concept of space or matter. He places the weapons in the boxes and surrounds them with Nothing. The owners can't summon them because the weapon is trapped."

Olette looked over at the boxes and shivered. She broke her gaze away from them and focused back on Naminé. "What's the point? None of you guys can wield another element's weapon? So why keep them?"

"Think about it Olette. Xemnas is planning to use Roxas to destroy everything. Xemnas is a fanatic. He's insane. We aren't the only Nobodies out there. They all won't like what is going to happen. They're going to want to fight back. Xemnas has been preparing for this prophecy since he found it. Even after Roxas he continued to try to find young impressionable kids to recruit. He doesn't do it out of the goodness of his heart. He's created an army and he's hungry for more soldiers. If Roxas succeeds the Nobodies will come out of hiding. A lot are blending in to normal society. They have friends, spouses, kids. People they care about. They won't stand for the destruction. There will be a war. Xemnas is making sure he holds all the cards. I'm telling you all this so you know what will happen if we fail. Everyone will die. Not just normal people. Nobodies will perish as well. And Roxas will be in the heart of it all. Eventually, he too, will fall.

Naminé let her words hang in the silence.

"No pressure, huh?" Olette replied, trying to lighten the tension.

Naminé did not smile. She picked up Oathkeeper and held it out to Olette. "Take this with you when we go to face Roxas."

"But I can't use it to fight," Olette stammered.

"Trust me Olette," she said with a slight smile. "You'll find a way to use it."

Olette grabbed the handle of the key. A gentle hum of warm energy made its way from her fingertips up her arm.

_Roxas._

"Let's go do this," she said.

Naminé smiled, but Olette noted there was a tinge of sadness in the motion.

xXx

By the time they had returned to the kitchen Demyx was sitting there waiting for them.

He looked up at Olette with flat, empty eyes. "Axel's getting stuff from his room and then we're going to leave."

There was something disconcerting about the indifference in Demyx's tone.

"Are you okay?" Olette asked.

He shook his head. "I'm not really looking forward to fighting my best friend."

Olette got the feeling he was omitting something, but she nodded. "Yeah, this isn't going to be easy."

She looked over at Naminé who was standing quietly in the corner, watching Demyx with wary eyes. She saw Olette staring at her and quickly readjusted her expression, her face now an emotionless mask.

_That's not good, _Olette mused, positive that Naminé was keeping something from her.

The three of them remained silent until Axel came back.

As he entered, his eyes widened when he saw Oathkeeper on the counter where Olette had put it. "Where did you get that?"

His green eyes turned cold as he glared at Naminé. "I thought I told you-"

Namine's eyes flitted over to Olette for a split second before fixing back on to Axel.

Axel breathed in deeply and closed his eyes. "Olette," he said, looking at her. "Are you ready to go?"

Olette stared at him in disbelief. "What the hell aren't you guys telling me?"

Axel opened his mouth, presumably to tell her they weren't hiding anything, but Naminé stopped him.

"Go on. Tell her." Her voice suggested something, but what, Olette couldn't discern.

Axel and Naminé exchanged brief looks.

"The weapons of Nobodies are dangerous," Axel began. "They're extremely powerful. And no one knows for sure what all they are capable of. None of us even know what happens to them when they aren't being summoned. Well, apparently Naminé knows. After all she knows everything, doesn't she?" There was uncharacteristic subtle acid in his voice. "She says that you're in no danger holding Oathkeeper, but bad things have happened to ordinary people who have stumbled upon our weapons. But Naminé here thinks you should bring Roxas's Keyblade. I on the other hand, don't trust it."

Olette glanced back and forth between Axel and Naminé. Axel's explanation felt too rehearsed. They were lying to her about something, but she couldn't figure out about what.

_Well, you guys aren't the only people who can act,_ she thought.

She sighed and met Axel's eye. There was fear in them. He was trying to conceal it, but Olette could tell that he was terrified.

"Okay," she said. "Axel, I know you're concerned about me, but I'm going to bring Oathkeeper. If it is the weapon of Light, I think it's one of the best tools to defeat Roxas's Darkness."

He nodded, just like Olette knew he would. She had convinced them that she believed what they were telling her.

"What were you getting?" she asked, changing the subject. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Naminé looking relieved.

"These." Axel reached into his pockets and pulled out two rings; one black, the other white. "Before we have to fight Roxas, I want to try one last time to get through to him."

"Axel, he's too far gone for that to work," Naminé lamented.

"I don't care, it's worth the try," he replied, sounding as if he was holding back tears. "It's my best friend in there."

Olette reached out and squeezed his arm encouragingly. "And we're going to get him back."

She took the rings from Axel. "Can I hold on to these?"

He nodded.

Olette took her necklace on and slipped the rings onto the chain, one on each side of the turquoise charm.

"Let's go."

The Axel and Naminé nodded. Olette looked over at Demyx who was still strangely quiet.

He stood up without a word, but nodded slowly as well.

Olette clasped tightly her charm and Roxas' rings.

_Hold on Roxas. We're coming to save you._

Mwwwwwwwwwwwwhhahaha, cliff hanger!

So you guys are probably like when will this end? The end is coming I promise.

Sorry if it seems like nothing really has happened lately, but the exciting climax is soon.


	29. Swan Song:O

**I'm soooooooooooooooooooooo sorry for keeping you all waiting. And don't kill me but there is one more chapter after this. I'm already working on it and I know how everything ends I just wanted to give you guys something. **

**Thanks to my editor, who without there would be like no commas at all because I never freakin remember to use them. She also make me look like a much better writer than I actually am cause she's brilliant when it comes to smart wording.  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

**Please don't hate me  
**

Olette stared out the car window_, _not really focusing on anything. She'd give anything to be able to sleep and not think, but she knew even in her dreams she could not escape her worry. He'd find her there for sure.

She shivered, thinking of the Darkness inside of Roxas. He haunted her every dream, her every thought.

It was easy to fake a brave face. Not so easy to truly believe she wasn't afraid.

No one in the truck spoke. No one wanted to think about what might or might not happen in the next few hours.

Olette glanced over at Demyx. He was looking at his shoes with a blank expression. He'd been that way for a while.

"Are you okay?" she asked, breaking the silence. He nodded, still staring at his shoes.

Olette saw the worried expression on Axel's face reflected in the rearview mirror.

"You sure there, buddy?" he asked.

"Just tired," Demyx replied.

"Well, better perk up. We'll be there soon."

Demyx didn't say anything.

They drove in silence for the next ten minutes. Somehow this time the silence seemed graver than it had before.

Axel turned into a neighborhood. Her old neighborhood.

Olette stared out the window as they passed her friend Aurora's house. They drove by the house where Olette used to babysit. And then finally they came to a stop across the street from her old house. It had been less than a year since she had last seen the place where she'd grown up. Looking at it now made her think of her family.

She hadn't had time to say goodbye to her parents or her brother.

What if they didn't win? What if they couldn't defeat Roxas?

She'd never see them again. They would never understand what had happened to her.

"Come on, Olette. It's time." Naminè opened the door for her.

The four of them headed toward the woods.

Olette carried Oathkeeper with her, despite knowing she'd be unable to use it in any kind of combat. Still, it made her feel as if she was connected to Roxas's Light somehow.

"It's really quiet," Naminè stated softly, breaking the few minutes of silence. "You think he knows we're coming?"

"It's safe to assume he does."

The four of them jumped as Larxene stepped out from behind a tree. She was smirking.

"Larxene!" Axel exclaimed, stepping towards her.

"Stop!" Naminè cried out.

Larxene cocked her head to the side. "Is there a problem?"

"Where's Roxas?" Olette asked, suspicion in her voice.

"He's the least of your worries right now." Her eyes were manic as her finger tips sparked with electricity.

"Larxene," Axel croaked, "What did he do to you?"

"Opened my eyes. Made me see the truth."

"Larxene, you can't let him control you like this!" Naminè exclaimed.

The tall blonde rolled her eyes. "They just don't understand." She was looking past Olette, addressing the boy who had yet to utter a word.

"Demyx-?" Olette turned to face him, and was taken aback by his sneer

"I guess they're just too stupid to see." He laughed, but there was no humor in it.

"See what?" Axel asked, calmly, as if he were talking to a misbehaving kid. However his green eyes smoldered with anger.

"That the Darkness doesn't control you. It sets you free."

"When did he do this to you?"

"After we got off the phone. He found me and I guess you can say showed me the Darkness. He can do the same for you."

Larxene grinned. "Join us, Axel," she purred. "So simple. Just let go."

"This isn't you. Demyx, Larxene he's using his influence over you. These are his words." Naminè looked terrified.

Larxene ignored Naminè and held out her hand to Axel. "I can take you to him. He can help you let go. All your pain and anger. We can be together."

Axel stared at her hand longingly. He began to reach out-

Only to switch directions at the last second and punch Larxene in the face.

She swore as lightning bolts crashed to the ground sending Olette backwards. The Keyblade went flying from her hands and landed by Demyx.

Scrambling to get it she didn't see the giant wave of water aimed at her. Once again she was flung backwards.

As she hit the ground she saw Axel shoot fire at Demyx, who dropped instantly.

"You okay?" Axel rushed to her aid. He smelled like smoke. To Olette's horror she saw that part of his shoes were melted. His hair stood up crazier than normal.

"I should be asking you that!"

"Lighting is the least of my concerns. We need to get out of here."

"Where's Namine?"

The two of them looked around frantically. But both Naminè and Larxene had disappeared.

"Should have known you'd betray us, Axel."

Demyx had recovered and was standing before them. Though his clothes were singed and ruined he appeared to be unharmed.

"Water beats fire." He laughed, seeing their bewildered faces.

"How did I betray you?" Axel spat the words at him, standing up.

"Helping the humans."

Axel looked as if he had been slapped. "What are you talking about? You're human, Demyx."

Demyx's eyes darkened. "No. None of us are. We're Nobodies. They-" he pointed at Olette "-think of us as freaks, monsters."

"Right now, you are a monster, Demyx." Axel shook his head sadly. "Roxas has poisoned your mind. This isn't you. And I'm sorry."

Demyx cocked his head to the side. "Sorry?

Axel nodded and extended out his arms. Olette watched as two circular weapons with spikes materilized in his hands.

"Run!" He shouted at Olette as he rushed forward toward Demyx.

Not needing to be told twice, she grabbed the Keyblade and sprinted in the direction of the clearing.

Though she could hear shouts of pain from behind her, she kept running.

_Only a bit further._

Finally, she saw light up ahead. She slowed down, fear suddenly paralyzing her. She had no plan, no way to protect herself.

But just as she thought that, the Keyblade in her hand began to grow warm.

Naminè had said she wouldn't be able to fight with it, but perhaps it could still protect her somehow.

Taking a deep breath, she walked to the clearing.

He was waiting for her.

Roxas stood on the other side with a malicious grin on his face.

If she didn't know who he was she would have never recognized him.

Black wisps of smoke had entwined their way around his body, giving him the appearance of being immersed in shadow. They curled into the air and even though the sun was shining brightly , the space around him seemed murky.

She took a few steps closer to him, noticing that the nearer she came to him, the more the temperature seemed to decrease.

Roxas didn't say anything. He just watched her, a hungry look in his eyes.

Olette stared back, determined to not let her fear show. She held the Keyblade up in front of her.

Roxas raised his eyebrows. "Where did you get that?"

When she didn't answer, he smirked. "That isn't going to do you any good. " He began to walk to her. The space around him darkened. With each step, Olette could feel the world growing colder.

He stopped mere inches away from her. She shivered.

"What have you done with Naminè?"

He smiled. "Larxene is keeping her company." He gestured to his right. Larxene stepped into the clearing, restraining Naminè in front of her. A knife was held to the blonde's throat.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt her if you play along." Roxas smiled.

Olette started to go to Naminè, but Roxas blocked her.

"No, sweetheart. That's not your part. Today, you'll be playing the role of the _weak, pathetic, human._" He hissed out the last words with an expression of complete and utter revulsion.

The tendrils emitting from him darkened. There seem to be more of the smoke. It twisted around his arms and legs. His skin was becoming less visible.

He grabbed her. The smoke twirled its way to his hands. Olette gasped as it touched her skin.

Never before had she felt something so cold, so evil.

She struggled against his grasp, but he merely pulled her closer. Like vines, the smoke began to curl around her arms.

Roxas stared into her eyes and grinned. As she tried to twist away from him, the pain from the smoke intensified. Oathkeeper slipped from her fingers. What little protection it gave her disappeared and she felt the world freeze.

Roxas's cold eyes gleamed in triumph. Black veins, beginning on his neck, crept up to his face. His eyes turned the same color as the veins reached them.

The smoke continued to wrap around her.

It suffocated her.

She couldn't see. Couldn't hear Naminè yelling out her name.

_I've failed. I didn't save him. He's going to kill me._

With all the strength she had left, she grabbed her necklace, where Roxas's rings were attached to.

And then the pain left her.

Olette gasped for air. As she regained her vision, she saw Roxas clutching his head in pain. He was on his knees, howling in agony.

"NO!" He bellowed. "I WILL NOT LET YOU FREE!"

His eyes met Olette's. They were filled with such loathing, such rage, that she thought that if any look could kill, that one would have done so.

Roxas stood up, shaking. The black veins that spread throughout his face became more menacing as they darkened.

"Your assistance is required here, Larxene," he growled. "I'll take care of Naminè."

He reached his right hand out to Olette. Black smoke shot out at her, binding her body as if it were rope. Larxene threw Naminè to the ground and joined Roxas's side.

"Kill her," he said calmly.

"What?" She asked, taken aback.

"Do it!" He snarled.

Almost as if some spell was broken, the manic gleam in Larxene's eyes dimmed. She stared at Roxas like she was seeing him for the first time.

"I, uh," she stammered.

"Remember what I told you, Larxene."

But Larxene wasn't listening. She was shaking her head as if to rid herself of dark thoughts.

"Larxene!" Roxas shouted. He grabbed her arm. "She has to die in order for me to succeed. I can't be the one to kill her or he will win. You want to be free don't you?"

Larxene nodded, the gleam returning.

She turned toward Olette and raised the knife in her hand.

For the second time that day, Olette was saved by fire. Olette felt everything grow warm once again as a giant blazing wall of flame separated her from her attacker.

"Impossible!" Roxas yelled.

Axel ran into the clearing. Another wall of fire erupted from the earth and surrounded Larxene, trapping her. He froze in front of Roxas, a look of pure shock appearing on his face as he took in the appearance of his friend.

'No," he whispered, the pain in his voice audible.

Roxas began to laugh. "Axel, you idiot. Do you honestly think you can stop me?"

"No, but I'm sure as hell going to try." He summed his two circular weapons and charged at Roxas.

Roxas continued to laugh as he too summoned his weapon. A Keyblade almost identical to Oathkeeper formed in his hands. However, this one was black and seemed to emit the same kind of smoke as Roxas.

Seeing the Keyblade reminded Olette of the fallen Oathkeeper. Locating it, she reached down and picked it up.

As soon as the metal touched her fingers, memories came flooding back to her.

Overhearing Naminè and Axel fighting.

The two of them exchanging looks in the kitchen, clearly hiding something.

The dream in which Roxas's light told her that she was the only one to save him.

Moments ago when Roxas admitted he couldn't kill her or _he _would win.

It was obvious who _he _was.

And finally, Naminè telling her that she'd find some way to use Oathkeeper to save Roxas.

Olette stood there, staring at the Keyblade, finally aware of what she had to do.

As if it could read her thoughts, Oathkeeper warmed in her hand, confirming her plan.

Olette looked up at Roxas, battling Axel.

It was clear that despite Axel's power, Roxas was stronger and would soon defeat his friend. Olette watched in horror as Axel fell and Roxas began to advance upon him.

With tears in her eyes, Olette tightened her grip on Oathkeeper. She waited until Roxas was standing over Axel, oblivious to all but what he thought was his victory. Once he was completely distracted she lunged forward.

He looked up just as she plunged Oathkeeper into his heart.


	30. Light

So this is it! I really want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed this. I can't believe it's been about 4 years since I first started writing this. When I first started I didn't really have more than 2 chapters planned out and now I am finishing it with 30! I hope you like it!

_There's always that split second right before you don't do something that is drastic and life changing. That second when you think 'well what if I did this?' only to have the rational part of your brain catch up and stop yourself. You knew you would never do something so crazy, so remarkably stupid, but for that one moment you want to just so you could see what would happen. You want to step over that line that separates possibility from reality. But you know you can't. Once you do there is no going back. So you stop. You listen to that voice telling you to stop and you decide you don't want to be reckless after all. You want the option of turning back._

_Only, what do you do when that voice is absent? When you know you have no choice other to do something dangerous and stupid. There is something more nerve-wracking than the small second when you think 'what if'. _

_That horrible, heart wrenching second once you've realized everything is changed forever._

_And it's your own damn fault._

xXx

Olette watched as Roxas' black eyes widened in shock.

"I'm so sorry," she whimpered as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"Olette?" The black was slowly waning as his eyes began to turn back to their normal blue.

She was sobbing now, unable to control it. Oathkeeper began to dissolve in her hands, causing her to jump back in shock.

Roxas made an agonizing sound and placed his hand where he had been pieced.

There was no blood, but instead dark smoke drained from the wound.

Olette made to move towards him, but someone grabbed her from behind.

"No!" shouted Axel, pulling her away.

She struggled against his hold as Roxas began coughing something dark resembling blood.

"No! What's happening? We have to help him!" She didn't care that she was hysterical. Didn't care that Axel was refusing to let go of her.

Roxas was in pain. Roxas was dying. Wasn't she supposed to save him?

This wasn't what she thought was going to happen. She was supposed to save him!

"He told me- he told me!" Her sobbing prevented her from doing more than sputtering out words as if they were poison. "He can't be dead."

"Olette, stop!" demanded Axel, but she barely heard him. "A little help?" He was shouting in exasperation at someone Olette couldn't see, but she didn't care.

Roxas' eyes locked onto Olette's for a one second, before rolling back in his head. He collapsed onto the ground, where he lay twitching violently.

Olette felt suddenly as if the world had gone silent. She could no longer hear her own sobs or Axel's yells.

Color seeped from the world. Everything started turning white.

Almost like her dream. He had been there. Had told her she was the only one to save him.

Only she had failed. Oh god. She had killed him.

Couldn't hear. Couldn't see. Couldn't breathe.

Pain stung her face. The sounds and colors came back in a rush. She would have swayed, but Axel's strong arms still held her.

Naminè stood before her. "You need to calm down."

"How can I? He's de-"

"He's not dead," Naminè replied, her voice stronger than Olette had ever heard it before.

"What?" Olette chocked back a sob.

It was true that Roxas was still writhing slightly. Pained gasps escaped his lips.

"I don't understand," Olette stammered.

Naminè opened her mouth to explain, but before she could Olette shouted "Roxas!"

Her eyes were focused on his still form. The smoke was gone.

It had been replaced with radiating light.

xXx

Roxas stood on a stained glass platform. Two figured stood in front of him. One looked remarkably similar to him, had strange yellow eyes and a bored expression.

The one who could have passed for his twin stepped forward, smiling.

_Ven._

The boy's name came to him in a whisper. Vague memories of a similar meeting arrived with it.

"At last. We have Roxas back," he said.

"I don't understand," Roxas replied.

"Don't worry, you'll remember soon after you wake up." He frowned. "Unfortunately you'll remember some stuff you wish you couldn't."

"What are you talking about?"

The boy with yellow eyes sighed in frustration. "You've been put back together, idiot."

"Vanitas?" Roxas asked.

"Bingo." The boy smirked.

Ven glared at him, before turning back to Roxas. "The Light and Darkness have been balanced. Olette, was able to attach onto your Light and bring the true you back."

Roxas, clutched at his heart as the memory of intense pain resurfaced. "She stabbed me!" He exclaimed, not quite believing it. But he wasn't angry. No, not at all. Because after the pain there had been warmth.

"She unlocked your heart, giving strength to the Light."

"Why am I still here? I have to find her!"

Ven laughed. "Very soon. We just wanted a little chat before you woke up. Roxas, Light and Darkness has been returned to their rightful parts. But, be warned the Darkness is not gone. They can't exist without the other. You need to ensure that the Light stays the strongest. The Darkness is your rightful ability and it will continue to fight. Your Light is strong though. And Olette will help. Remember who you are and the Darkness won't be able to take control again."

Roxas nodded.

Vanitas chuckled. "Be prepared to apologize to a lot of people."

Before Roxas could ask why, the two boys and the platform vanished.

He was no longer standing, but instead lying on something soft, staring up at the sky.

xXx

Olette broke away from a stunned Axel's grip and rushed toward Roxas. The light had faded as he began to gingerly sit up.

She fell to her knees, but refrained from touching him. "Roxas?"

His eyes, the brilliant blue she has missed so much met hers. "God, you're beautiful," he said, sounding as if he was in awe. "Olette."

And then he was kissing her.

The world stopped, only this time it was a wonderful, amazing thing.

xXx

Roxas and Olette sat on the bed, holding on to one another as if they were afraid if they'd let go they lose each other again.

The group had returned to the mansion and all of them, Larxene, Demyx, Axel and Naminè stood with them.

For the most part none of them weren't seriously injured. Demyx had a few burns and minor injuries, but he could have cared less. He and Larxene were back to normal.

Axel stood leaning in the doorway, watching his best friend. "Do you remember anything?"

"A little. The last clear thing I remember was Olette giving me her necklace back. And then after that snippets. But they're confusing and cloudy. Like a horrible nightmare. Honestly I wish it all was." Roxas looked around at all his friends. "I don't think sorry, will ever be enough to say."

"You don't need to apologize. It wasn't you, man," Demyx replied.

"But it was. I couldn't help it, but there is some part of me that feels and acts that way."

"Roxas," Axel began, "Everyone has problems. But you aren't that _thing_ we were dealing with. Believe me when I say that my best friend is back to normal. And I completely forgive you for everything.

Naminè, Larxene and Demyx nodded in agreement.

Naminè stepped forward. "Can you still control the Darkness?"

"Yeah," he answered, "but it feels different than before. And, um, I can do this." He held out his hand. A small orb formed, but it wasn't the normal one. Instead it was made up of blinding light. "I guess I can do both now."

Naminè grinned.

"He gets two powers?" Demyx groaned. "So not fair, man."

"Shut up," Larxene and Axel said at the same time.

Everyone laughed.

The nightmare was over. Everything was going to be okay.

xXx

Olette ran as fast as she could. Her legs hurt and she was gasping for air, but she ignore the pain. She had to catch him. He'd never let her down if she didn't.

"Olette!" His voiced echoed off the trees, mocking her.

She had to stop running. "Damn him!" She cursed trying to breathe.

"You are so slow!" He yelled again, this time with laughter in his voice.

Olette turned around, scanning the forest.

Where could he be? Was he near her now, watching her as she hopelessly couldn't catch him?

The sound of leaves crunching came from behind her. She whipped around and ran toward the noise.

After a few minutes she realized she had been tricked. The woods were dead silent. He was nowhere to be found.

She sat down on a fallen tree trunk and tried to get her breathing to be regular.

She was never going to catch him. If he didn't want to be found then there was nothing anyone could do to stop him. She stood up, feeling exhausted.

_I guess I'll just go back and admit deafe-_

"Gothca!"

Olette screamed as someone from behind grabbed her shoulders.

She spun around and glared at her attacker.

Roxas just grinned a stupid, boyish smile. "You're not very good at this game."

Olette frowned. "Hey I found Axel and Hayner like two seconds into it! Everyone else I've caught but you."

"What can I say? I am the best at extreme hide and go seek."

"Whatever, these woods are stupid. The ones by my old house were much better."

Roxas shrugged. "Sorry, these are the only ones I could find in Twilight Town. Besides it takes away the advantage you and I would have over everyone else. It wouldn't be fair if only you and I knew the good hiding places."

He reached out and grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Let's go get lunch before another round. I'm starving."

Olette smiled and the two of them began to walk toward home. Roxas' hand fit hers perfectly. She could feel his two rings, but it wasn't uncomfortable. In fact it made her very happy.

They began to see the houses that were outside the edge of the woods.

"Hey, wait one second," Roxas said, stopping.

"Yeah?"

He smiled and leaned into kiss her.

After a while the two broke apart, identical goofy smiles on their faces.

"I love you, Olette."

"I love you too."

He leaned in to kiss her again.

Unlike the girls who claimed that they saw stars or fireworks when they kissed the one they loved, Olette saw nothing but beautiful light, radiating from the two of them.


End file.
